MOTORISTS will be charged up to £5.50 a day for parking at Knutsford Community Hospital under new regulations.

East Cheshire NHS Trust is planning to introduce paid-for parking at the Bexton Road hospital from April 2015. The trust hopes the changes will help prevent the misuse of parking areas provided for patients, staff and visitors, and increase the availability of parking spaces close to the hospital entrance.

Tim Ward, head of facilities at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: “We have not taken this decision lightly and understand these changes may cause concern among local patients and their families.

“However, these changes are necessary in order to improve security and ensure that the only people using the car parks are our patients, their visitors or members of staff. Currently, there is nothing to stop people using the site to park for as long as they like while visiting nearby homes and businesses.

“Once the new scheme is in place, it should mean that local people are able to park more easily and securely, and the revenue raised from the introduction of parking charges will be put back into the vital services.”

Trust staff will be charged on a sliding scale, dependant on salary.

Parking charges for members of the public will be £2.20 for up to two hours, £4.40 for 2-4 hours or £5.50 for 4-12 hours. A daily fee of £2.20 will be charged on a Saturday or a Sunday and a weekly parking ticket will be priced at £11. Blue badge holders will be exempt from the charges.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology will be in operation and anyone found parking without payment or appropriate pass will face a penalty charge of up to £70.