It is the first stage of an $11.5 million hospital car park expansion.

The designated staff car park, to be built on land between Toorak Court and the northern end of the hospital car park, will have vehicle access from Toorak Court and a pedestrian link to the hospital.

There will be about 110 additional parking spaces with a completion target of mid-2019.

It comes after the state government allocated $5 million in the 2018 budget to progress the hospital car parking expansion.

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams said it was important to address the car parking issue at the hospital.

“We want people to be able to have access to this world-class facility and that means making sure car parking is available,” she said.

The new staff car park will free up existing parking spaces for the general public.

Mrs Williams said the designated staff car park, with access off Toorak Court, would also relieve some of the congestion at the Wrights Road roundabout.

Mid North Coast Local Health District chief executive Stewart Dowrick said the designated staff car park would give immediate relief with about 110 additional parks.

The next step will be the provision of a further 200 car parking spaces scheduled for completion by 2020.

Mr Dowrick said the car parking expansion would address a really pressing need for the site.

The car parking expansion project, which involves land acquisition, car parking reconfiguration and more parking slots, will provide more than 300 extra car parking spaces.

Pay parking will be introduced across the hospital car park once the entire expansion project is complete.

The schedule of fees will be in line with those at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus.

Mrs Williams said she was not going to make apologies for the fact there would be a minimal cost for some car park users once the parking expansion project was completed.

She said it was reasonable that people paid a minimal amount to park at the hospital.

Mr Dowrick confirmed the local health district would move towards a pay car parking model, the same as introduced at Coffs Harbour Health Campus in August 2015, once the entire car parking project was completed.

He said the fees at Coffs Harbour Health Campus were very modest.

For example, Coffs Harbour’s rates currently start at $2 for 30 minutes to one hour and go up to a $10 weekly pass with repeated entries.

The first 30 minutes are free and concession rates apply.

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