Margaret and Ray Potter have been fighting against paid parking at the Bong Bong Road centre for the past eight years, and say they are ‘‘astounded’’ by a new attempt to charge a minimum of $2 each time a vehicle enters the car park.

Mrs Potter said her husband had multiple sclerosis, and needed to be dropped right at the door of the centre when the couple visited the doctor.

‘‘People with disabilities have to park in the car park, as they can’t get into the centre otherwise because disabled access – the ramp and automatic doors – is at that entrance,’’ she said.

‘‘Also people who can’t walk long distances need to be in that car park.’’

She said it would also affect people who got taxis to the medical centre, carers or relatives who were dropping patients off and ambulance paramedics responding to emergencies.

‘‘The taxis aren’t going to be wanting to pay the $2, so they’re going to expect to either drop patients off at the driveway and cause traffic problems or make the patient pay for it,’’ Mrs Potter said.

‘‘People who are carers or neighbours who might be dropping somebody off who can’t get there on their own will end up paying $4 because they will be dropping people off and picking them up.’’

‘‘And the only time the ambulance is there is for emergencies – so they would either have to get the staff to give them $2, pay for it out of their own pockets or ask the patient for it.’’

According to a development application now on exhibition through Wollongong City Council, Primary Health Care Medical and Dental Centre – which operates the centre – hopes to charge a minimum fee of $2.

At present, fees starting at $5 are charged after the first two or three hours, depending on the discretion of the operator.

‘‘The paid parking schedules (with boom gates) manage car park intrusion, including providing for a turnover of car park users so that all patients have fair access,’’ the development application to introduce the $2 fee says.

‘‘The adjusted paid parking schedules will allow Primary Health Care to be ‘cost neutral in operating the boom gate system, and therefore continue intrusion management.

‘‘The $2 cost is considered fair for all users.’’

The medical centre’s parking saga began in 2006, when Primary Health Care installed a boom gate without the council’s permission and was forced to remove it.

Early last year, it finally gained permission to install the boom gate, according to the development application documents, but the first two or three hours of parking remained free.

The new plan is on exhibition through the council’s website until February 9.