The finishing touches were being made this week to Rochester’s new multi-storey car park which is due to open today.

Hundreds more car parking spaces will be available in the town when the long-awaited multi-storey opens in time for the Sweeps Festival which starts tomorrow.

The £5 million Rochester Riverside car park will provide 321 bays and 18 disabled bays for long-stay parking, ideal for visitors, shoppers and commuters using the new station.

The Corporation Street car park will now turn into a short stay facility as from today.

Access to the multi-storey car park, which will operate a pay and display system accepting cash and card, is via Gas House Road. Rail passengers can use a new subway which connects the car park to the £26 million station.

Cllr Phil Filmer,who is in charge of parking, said: “I am pleased the car park is now complete and open for use for commuters, visitors and Medway residents. The new Rochester Riverside car park goes hand in hand with the new station, bringing this important scheme to fruition.”

The delay in getting much-needed extra parking spaces has caused difficulties for drivers unable to find anywhere to park in the town.

Problems have been made worse by an influx of commuters using the new station in Corporation Street since it opened in December last year.

Network Rail has been carrying out the construction work over the past year.

A total of £4 million of the cost was government-funded through the Growing Places Fund.