Hospital parking charges set to change

The plans propose to decrease the charge for parking up to 70 minutes from £1.20 to 40p whilst increasing charges from 70 minutes up to two hours by 20p.

Hospital car parking charges were first introduced to the Southern Trust in 2009.

Car parks closer to main hospital buildings are designated as charged car parks for the convenience of patients and visitors, while staff and those who do not wish to pay can use other parking around the site. The majority of car parking on both sites remains free of charge.

Anita Carroll, Assistant Director for Functional Support Services said: “Car parking is an ongoing challenge on our busy hospital sites and we are always looking for ways to improve accessibility within the limited space and resources available to us.

“Without this income, funding currently used for patient care would have to be used to maintain our car parks.

“The last change to car parking prices was in April 2015, when we increased the charges to help cover rising maintenance costs.

“We have recently reviewed the use of car parks and believe that by reducing the rate for shorter periods, we will encourage a quicker turnover, allowing more people to avail of a parking space throughout the day.

“As always, we welcome the views of those who use our car parks in making this decision and encourage patients, staff and visitors to share their views.”