PATIENTS and visitors at Sutherland Hospital will have to pay up to $18 a day to use the new multi-level car park which is being built there.
Staff will be charged $21 a week.
Health Minister Jillian Skinner revealed the fees during an inspection of work on the $10 million facility with Premier Barry O'Farrell. It is due to be completed by the end of the year.
The charges vary only slightly from a new fee structure introduced for the hospital's existing car parks in October last year, which resulted in steep rises.
Until then, parking for patients and visitors started at just $2 for up to two hours, while staff paid only $10 a week.
Fees for all car parks will be brought into line when the multi-level facility opens, and will be the same as at other Sydney hospitals where similar developments are under way.
Mrs Skinner said the rates were "quite reasonable compared with what we inherited".
She said much higher charges applied at hospital car parks built by the previous government, including that at St George Hospital, where the maxim-um daily rate had been $30.
The new facility and upgraded existing car parks at the rear of Sutherland Hospital will provide an additional 300 spaces for staff and the public, taking the total to 1000, and further levels can be added in future.
"We understand that accessible, secure car parking is a vital component of our hospital system," Mr O'Farrell said.
COMPARISONS
Sutherland Hospital
First 15 minutes, free
¼ hour – 1 hour, $6
1 hour – 2 hours, $9
2 hours – 3 hours, $12
3 hours – 4 hours, $14
4 hours – 5 hours, $16
5 hours onwards, $18
Maximum daily, $18
Staff rate: $21 per week
* Applies to all car parks once the multi-level facility is completed. Revenue from existing car parks is retained by
the hospital.
St George Hospital
0 - ½ hour, $4
½ hour - 1 hour, $8
1 hour - 1½ hours, $12
1½ - 2 hours, $16
2 - 2½ hours, $20
2½ hours - 6 hours, $24
6 hours onwards, $30
Maximum daily, $30
Staff rate, $36.20
a fortnight
* Since 1999, a contract has been in place with a private operator, Metro Parking, which determines fees and reviews them annually.
Concession rate
At both Sutherland and St George hospitals, concession rates apply to eligible users, including pensioners and patients requiring specialised treatment and other long- term health-related care.
Do you think the fees are reasonable and will the new car park stop nearby streets being ‘‘parked out’’?
