THE spiralling cost of car parking is adding thousands to the price of new homes across the region.

In some popular areas of Wirral and Cheshire, securing a parking space will add around 10pc to the cost of a property.

The situation mirrors that of Liverpool city centre where parking spaces are being sold for an astonishing £10,000 each.

Far from baulking at the price, young professionals are queueing to snap them up.

And if Liverpool follows the same pattern as Manchester, that £10,000 cost could double within three years.

Chris Band, partner in Wirral's Clive Watkin estate agents, said: "In the up-and-coming urban areas such as Oxton, off-road parking can add between seven and 10pc to the value of a property.

"After price and the number of bedrooms, parking is the next thing people ask about. To most it is more important than central heating or even a garden."

In Chester, all 15 apartments at the prestigious 1761 development in the city centre come with residential parking. The Bryant Homes development, converted from an 18th century hospital, recently sold Chester's first £500,000 penthouse apartment.

There are just 200 parking spaces available for city centre residents in Chester but an annual permit costs just £60.

Chester City Council spokesman David Bennett said: "All the spaces are usually full. People tell us £60 is a very fair price for parking in a city centre."

The boom in city centre living in Liverpool has meant even offering huge sums for a parking spot may not be enough to guarantee success.

One prospective buyer offered a £16,000 cheque for two parking spaces and had to be turned away.

The situation is only likely to get worse as the estimated 9,000 people living in Liverpool city centre is expected to swell to 20,000 by 2007.

That influx, dominated by young professionals, will generally be carowners and the question now is where to accommodate them.

Giselle Atherton, sales manager for the Beetham Organisation, responsible for a number of luxury inner-city developments, said: "It is certainly becoming an issue. There is a huge shortage of parking spaces."