Parking concerns over health centre

Part of the proposals for a new £39 million centre in the city include the possibility of relocating it from its current location in Linenhall Street.

One of the sites being considered is at the Lagan Valley Hospital.

This proposal has been met with a fierce reaction from readers, who think that moving the Health Centre from the city centre to the hospital would be a mistake.

One of the main concerns that many people have with the relocation of the health centre is the issue of parking at the hospital, which already proves to be a struggle for many people visiting the Lagan Valley.

“The present hospital site is not suitable for further expansion as car parking is already at its limit,” said one reader.

Another added that whilst it was good news that Lisburn would be benefitting from a new multi-million pound centre. However, he added: “As long as it has free on-site parking.

“I am fed up having to pay just to run in and collect a prescription, or when you have sick child with you. It needs to be more accessible.”

A caller to the Star office agreed that the hospital site was not the right place for a new health centre.

“At Lagan Valley at the minute you can’t get parked, how are we going to park if they put a health centre there?

“Maybe they plan to build a car park in the sky or on top of the hospital!

“They haven’t taken parking into account.”

Another concerned reader has deemed the proposals to be “crazy.”

He questioned what is wrong with the current Health Centre building and suggested that patients were the last to be consulted on the plans.

“Where is the convenience for the user, most of whom are elderly and the majority dependant on Public Transport?” he asked.

“Will there be a dedicated car park free of parking charges and not accessible to all for all who currently need and use the Health Centre.”

He questioned whether the impact on footfall in Lisburn city centre had been considered.

“Can we as rate payers see the statistics used to attempt to justify this proposal?” he added.

“The local traders will lose considerable trade as yet more senior citizens will now only be able to go somehow to the LVH and not shop before in the town centre before taking public transport back home.”

For more views on the plans for the new Health Centre see our Letters section on page 16.