A PROPOSAL aimed at easing parking shortages at a new £36m hospital is likely to be derailed, the Daily Echo can reveal.

A new report is expected to conclude that a former railway station next to the Lymington New Forest Hospital should not be re-opened.

Ampress Halt used to be one of the stops on the Lymington to Brockenhurst railway line.

When permission for the hospital was granted, the district council limited the number of parking spaces as part of a green transport plan that aimed to encourage more people to leave their car at home.

However, the building is on an industrial estate on the edge of Lymington and is difficult to reach by public transport.

Re-opening Ampress Halt would enable people to arrive and depart by train - but the scheme is likely to be shunted into the sidings.

The warning has been issued by Hampshire County Council, which is carrying out a feasibility study into the proposal.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the 107-bed hospital is due to be opened by the Princess Royal next Tuesday.