Our brand new multi-storey car park

Yes, the new MSCP will offer slightly more spaces than we have today. While planning rules and local road capacity limit the number of spaces we can provide, this is a positive step forward. As well as the 1,335 spaces, including disabled, and parent and child bays, within the MSCP we will also retain some parking spaces in other areas across the site when the New QEH is built.

We’re also working on wider travel improvements; from better bus links and enhanced walking and cycling routes to car-sharing initiatives to make journeys to the hospital easier and more sustainable now and in the future.

Payment for the car park will be on exit for patients however for our staff there will be payment options available. Payment is likely to be supported through cash, card and an app to cover all methods. The finer details of this will be worked through with a new car park management company.

The car park will be built in one phase with work expected to start in June 2026, with completion expected in December 2027. This will then allow for us to begin work on the main hospital building.

Enabling works such as the creation of some displaced parking spaces and relocation of the bus stop began in January 2026.

Plans for our New QEH are progressing well. The new hospital will be built on our existing main car park. Therefore, we need to provide enough parking for patients, visitors and staff both while the new hospital is being built and once it is up and running.

Our proposal is in line with most new hospital schemes across the country which include plans for car parking facilities using MSCP, recognising that for patients, visitors and staff, good access to parking has a significant impact on their overall experience. The QEH is no different.

We have until 2027 to carry out ‘enabling’ works that will facilitate the hospital build – this includes ensuring we replace the existing car park that the new hospital would be built on. After careful consideration we think that the best solution to car parking at The QEH, both in the short and long-term, is to build a MSCP.

This will ease parking challenges in the short-term by creating more spaces and will free up the current car park space as a construction site for a new hospital. It will help alleviate any parking disruption when a new hospital is built and provide enough spaces to meet future demand.

The MSCP will be built using ‘Modern Methods of Construction’ principles that guide all NHS new builds. Our detailed plans include plenty of space to access vehicles for patients with reduced mobility, energy efficient LED lighting and motion sensors (helping to reduce light pollution), natural ventilation and 24-hour security.

As part of this project, we will be adding additional spaces for staff and visitors to charge their electric vehicles across our hospital site, with flexibility to increase this provision in the future as we work to better understand and model demand.

We are working to keep car parking demand to a minimum wherever practical and possible to do so, for example through our travel plan, staff car parking permit system, and public transport.

The MSCP has been developed based on anticipated use and experience from other multi-storey car parks across the country. A series of traffic surveys were undertaken last year to help provide a robust evidence base to support the sizing calculations. Data from different clinical departments and visitor numbers has also been used to inform our proposals. The car park design follows NHS best practice guidance.

We will promote the use of carbon efficient principles through the construction and delivery process, in line with the Government’s Net Zero Strategy, which sets out to reduce emissions and reduce the carbon footprint of all sectors of the economy.

We are working to keep car parking demand to a minimum wherever practical and possible to do so, for example through our travel plan, staff car parking permit system, and public transport.

As part of this project, we will be adding additional spaces for staff and visitors to charge their electric vehicles across our hospital site, with flexibility to increase this provision in the future as we work to better understand and model demand.

The MSCP will provide 1,335 car parking spaces, including disabled and parent and child bays. Additional parking in other areas of the site will also be retained once the MSCP and new hospital is built. 

During the consideration of our planning application, advice sought from local authority fire department requested that electric charging points were not located inside the MSCP as they could pose an additional fire risk that could otherwise be avoided. Instead as part of this project, we will be adding additional spaces for staff and visitors to charge their electric vehicles across our hospital site, rather than in a building, with flexibility to increase this provision in the future as we work to better understand and model demand. In so doing, we recognise that our hospital parking spaces should not become a destination for charging electric vehicles.

Twenty new EV charging points are already available in the Emerson unit car park and can be used by staff and patients.

We don’t anticipate any specific changes to car parking charges related to the MSCP. We will continue to review our charges each year as we do now and ensure these are benchmarked with other hospitals.

The patient pick up and drop off points outside the main hospital entrance are not affected by the MSCP plans. These will need to be considered at a later stage as more detailed plans are developed for a new hospital.

Graphics will identify lifts, stairs and car park level location, which has benefits for those with dementia or are partially sighted, and symbols will identify parking bays.

Internal signage will help patients, visitors, and staff identify exits and, when built, where links to the new hospital are located.

We are proposing the strong use of colour to support wayfinding at different levels with colour themes for each floor and having painted walkways and architectural features on each floor to help with orientation and user experience and maximise accessibility.

Usability is a key consideration for us. We are proposing to digitise the way we manage the car park with use of modern payment methods, mobile and app devices.

This will include Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems, to align with modern practices and the Government’s ‘Digital first’ agenda. ANPR systems have the benefit of being an automated payment system which mean visitors will be able to pay as they leave, rather than having to estimate how long they will need to park for.

We are aiming to minimise the impact of the development, so we are sensitive and respectful of our closest neighbours. We will use a developer registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme to minimise disturbance for our neighbours and the public.

We are working with Norfolk County Council around minimising the impact of construction traffic and the short-term displacement of some car parking at QEH during construction.

We are committed to a temporary solution to manage any displaced parking and ensure that any impact on the wider highway network is minimised.

The car park will be built in one phase with work expected to start in June 2026, with completion expected in December 2027. This will allow for us to begin work on the main hospital building.

Enabling works such as the creation of some displaced parking spaces and relocation of the bus stop began January 2026.