BOSSES at the Royal Bolton Hospital have submitted a planning application for a multi-storey car park.

If the application, lodged with Bolton Council this week, is approved building will start next year.

The building and control of the three-storey car park, which will be built on an existing car park between K block and the maternity ward, will be handed over to a private company because the hospital can not afford to run it.

A second application to expand and resurface existing car parks, complete with floodlights, while the multi-storey is being built, has also been submitted to ensure no spaces will be lost during the building work.

The car parks applications are expected to be heard at the planning committee meeting in October.

Staff and patients at the hospital are desperate for more parking facilities on the Farnworth site which is constantly overcrowded.

Deputy director of operations for the hospital, Nigel Palmer, said: "The multi-storey will be built on a car park which currently has 160 spaces so we have to make sure those spaces are provided elsewhere.

"We are currently looking for a private partner to build the car park because it would be too expensive for the hospital to provide.

"We have estimated how many cars we will need to accommodate over the coming years, taking growth into account and off-setting that against our travel plan which is encouraging people to take public transport, car share or walk to work where possible.

"We hope the project will begin next year and take 12 months to complete."

But staff will start paying to park before the car park is up and running after a tiered system depending on earnings was introduced as an interim measure.

Staff earning less than £20,000 will pay £5 a month, staff earning between £20,000 - £40,000 will pay £10 a month and those earning more than £40,000 will pay £15 a month. Staff who already pay for reserved parking will pay the new fees on top of the money already paid.

It was originally thought that staff would not start paying for parking until the £4 million car park was built.

But, with the hospital £1.09 million in the red this financial year, money is urgently needed to increase the hospital money pot.

The new scheme will bring in around £167,000 a year.

Most hospitals in the country now charge their staff for parking. There are currently 2,352 cars vying for 1,600 spaces at peak times.

There are just 400 spaces for the public. It is estimated costs for the public will be £2 a day - the current daily charge is £1.40.