6 Apr 2018

Public feedback is being sought on a proposal to extend the one-hour free parking offer at both the Lichfield Street and Christchurch Art Gallery car parks.

At present, the free hour offer is due to end on 30 June 2018.

The proposed extension will only be available at those two Council-owned buildings.

“We have already provided more than 22,500 hours of free parking in the Lichfield Street Car Park and the Art Gallery Car Park buildings,” Council Transport Operations Manager Steffan Thomas says.

An extension to the free parking hour initiative has been proposed.

An extension to the central city free parking hour initiative has been proposed.

More than 12,500 drivers have also benefited from free parking at the Worcester Street, New Regent Street, Rolleston Avenue and former Aldersgate sites but these are not part of the proposed “one-hour free” extension.

“With more people steadily returning to the city centre and the retail and hospitality precincts gathering momentum, we want to encourage residents to make the most of the CBD regeneration,” Mr Thomas says.

“Both the Lichfield Street and Christchurch Art Gallery car park buildings are ideally placed to meet demand for parking.”

The cost of the present initiative over the three-month trial is about $90,000, which is one-third of the revenue that would have been received from those car parks during that period.

“Based on the costs of the present trial, extending the initiative from 1 July would reduce the Council’s revenue by about $400,000 per year,” Mr Thomas says.

“However, an increase in occupancy rates would lift revenue.”

The cost of the proposed extension will need to be included in the final Long Term Plan, due to go to the Council in June. The extension equates to a 0.1 per cent rate increase.

Submissions close at 5pm on Monday, 30 April 2018. Make sure you have your say.

Submitters can address the Hearings Panel, which will be held in May.