A PARKING crisis at Scotland's newest hospital has taken a fresh twist after the owners of a vacant commercial car park next door hit out at the health board's plans to create 500 new spaces.

Ogilvie Homes Ltd, who own a 700-space parking lot adjacent to the new Southern Glasgow hospitals in Govan, have formally objected to proposals to build a new temporary car park for NHS staff.

It comes as the Royal College of Nursing Scotland submitted a 7,000-strong petition to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde calling for more parking at the new hospital, which will start with 2,500 spaces for more than 10,000 employees when it fully opens in June. A further 1,000 spaces will be added in 2016, but health bosses were also banking on creating 500 temporary parking spaces at Linthouse Road.

Ogilvie want their existing facility at Hardgate Road to be used instead and will hold emergency talks with the health board and council this week.

In a letter to Glasgow City Council, Ogilvie's land and planning manager, Fraser Miller, said a new car park "is an unnecessary use of public funding" when an empty car park is already available less than 110 yards west of the complex.

He added that the proposed temporary car park at Linthouse Road was in a "remote location" 10-15 minutes walk from the hospital's main entrance and would expose staff to "fear of crime, particularly during the winter months".

Negotiations between the health board and Ogilvie broke down at the end of 2014 when the Stirling-based company insisted that it wanted to charge NHS staff £3 per day to use their car park.

The health board instead offered to pay a fixed fee to Ogilvie to rent space for a period of 15 months in exchange for allowing NHS staff with parking permits to access the car park for free.

When no deal was reached, NHS bosses applied for planning permission to create the temporary car park instead.

The Ogilvie car park was in daily use from 2011 to 2014 when it was originally leased to the main contractor behind the hospital build. The firm said it had been approached directly by Southern General workers last year eager to gain access to the facility "at a reasonable daily rate".

A spokesman for the Ogilvie Group said: "In response to that request, the site was opened as a temporary public car park with a flat rate of £3 per day, per car. It was closed after two weeks on instructions from Glasgow City Council.

"We have sought a meeting with all relevant parties to resolve the matter in everyone's best interests and this is due to take place later this week."

The new hospital will replace the Victoria and Western Infirmaries, Yorkhill hospital, old Southern General and Mansionhouse Unit. Staff numbers at the expanded site will more than double from 4,790 to 10,561 by June.

RCN Scotland said some nurses would have to set off the night before to arrive on time for an 8.30am shift using public transport, but NHSGGC said the site was already served by 50 buses an hour and would be boosted when the new Fastlink bus service launches in summer.

A spokeswoman for the health board added: "NHSGGC had been in negotiation with Ogilvie Construction to lease the derelict land for a period of 15 months until all the car parks have been completed on the campus.

"It was our intention to provide this to permit holding staff free of charge with the cost borne by NHSGGC and we were disappointed that Ogilvie Construction decided to offer the derelict land to our staff at a charge."