Taking shape – the new multi-storey car park for Dorset County Hospital.

Work has started in recent days on the steelwork for parking platforms to link the two main structures which now tower over surrounding streets.

The 650-space building, set into the hill on a corner site at the bottom of Williams Avenue and Damers Road, will allow for future expansion on the hospital site, including a larger accident and emergency department.

The project is part of a £62.5m government investment to improve services at the hospital.

The new seven-floor building is dwarfing neighbouring homes, the adjoining children's centre and businesses on the other side of Damers Road.

It won unanimous support from Dorset Council when its area planning committee approved the project in September last year, despite some opposition from residents who claimed it would be out of place in a town which has few tall buildings and might cause additional traffic problems at the junctions either end of Williams Avenue.

Dorchester town councillors at the time congratulated the hospital for its design and attempts to minimise the impact of the building while saving as many trees as possible. The new car park will eventually feature a 'living wall' to soften the structure.

Building work on the car park is said to be on target with the opening expected to take place in summer next year.

The hospital says there have been some delays with steel deliveries, but it should not affect the completion date. Once the structural phase is complete the 'fit-out' phase of works will begin, including the perforated artwork façade, featuring pictures of Corfe Castle, Durdle Door, and Portland Bill Lighthouse, chosen by the local community. Electrical installation, including electrical vehicle charging points, fire alarm systems, and lift systems, will conclude the fit-out stage. Other recent works tied in with the hospital include the recent opening of a disabled-friendly rail ramp from the town's West Rail Station which leads to and from Williams Avenue and the hospital site. At the time the car park was proposed for the 400-bed hospital it was said that staff numbers in 2026 are expected to be up by 22 per cent on the 2015 figure. The hospital currently employs around 3,500 staff and contributes an estimated £169million a year to the local economy. A&E demand alone is expected to rise from 48,000 patients to over 60,000 a year. The unit was designed for 22,000 a year when it opened.