Parking charges at thehospital will be reinvested

That was the message from the UUP’s David McClarty at last week’s meeting of Portstewart Vision the Community Forum.

A number of local MLAs and the MP Gregory Campbell attended the meeting to face questions about many issues including that of car parking at the Causeway Hospital.

The SDLP’s John Dallat explained that it had been discovered that some Triangle residents were using the hospital to park free of charge all day while they took buses to Belfast.

He also added that there was a problem with labourers parking at the hospital all day while they were transported to various building sites around the country - although the downturn in the building trade had resolved this problem.

Mr Dallat said that a similar problem was being faced by Antrim hospital where holidaymakers were parking free of charge in the hospital car park while they jetted off from Aldergrove airport.

“Something needed to be done,” said Mr Dallat.

“It is my belief that car parking charges at hospitals need to be controlled for those people who need to go the hospital frequently.

“There are some good models in other hospitals where there are passes issued to people who need to attend the hospital every day.”

David McClarty MLA said that the authorities were looking at introducing charges at Causeway Hospital.

“If parking charges are imposed we are assured that all money will be reinvested in local services.”

Sinn Fein representative Billy Leonard said that he believed a car parking charge system would be in place by January 2011.