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City of Ballarat have responded to the state government’s election promise to build an extra 1000 free car parks in the CBD if re-elected.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced the $14 million package at the Wendouree Station on Wednesday, while taking a swipe at City of Ballarat’s “obsession” with paid parking.
But City of Ballarat have refused to rise to the bait as compounded parking woes loom large, ahead of the GovHub build and Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment, which will push thousands more workers in to the CBD.
City of Ballarat did not answer The Courier’s questions about how this could impact its current parking plan, or whether the state government stepping in was an indictment on the success of council’s approach, but mayor Samantha McIntosh welcomed the election promise.
Cr McIntosh said in a statement the municipality was looking forward to “working through the detail” of the 1000 new car parks and where they will be located.
"The City of Ballarat has been talking to residents and business about their parking needs for some months – I look forward to determining how this proposal will impact our plans for a new approach to parking,” she stated.
Parking pressure is being driven by a number of major projects. The Ballarat Base Hospital upgrade, a $461.6 million investment, will add the equivalent of 1,000 extra full-time workers to one of Ballarat’s most parking-starved precincts when completed in 2026.
EARLIER
The state government has promised to build an extra 1000 free car parks in the Ballarat CBD, including ‘a number’ of multi-deck car parks, if re-elected.
It is currently unknown when the multi-decks will be constructed, where the car parks will be placed, and if it will be free all-day or timed parking. The election promise is an unprecedented step, with a state government pledging to fund a solution for a contentious council issue.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the exact location of the sites wouldn’t be dictated to Ballarat residents, but would come “from consultation, listening to traders and to local residents, and of course working closely with the Ballarat City Council”.
“We need to deal with some of the pressures that are there in terms of the amount of car parks that are available,” he said.
Watch the full press conference with Daniel Andrews at Wendouree Station
“If the council was left to do it themselves, then rates would have to go up … or they’d have to charge for those car parks, and we don’t think that’s fair,” he said.
He said that as families are “doing it tough” every dollar counts, so if you “suddenly pay for parking that used to be free when you struggle to find a park, because there hasn’t been enough investment, that’s no good at all.”
Mr Andrews said he’d look forward to engaging with City of Ballarat on the new car spaces “if they could get past their obsession with making people pay more to park”.
City of Ballarat’s plan would see the number of paid parks in the CBD balloon to around 8,500 spaces between Macarthur Street in the north and Urquhart Street in the south. Motorists in the inner CBD will pay $2 per hour for parking, with no time restriction, with a 50 cent per hour cost in the outer zone.
The Courier has contacted City of Ballarat for a response on the Premier’s comments, and the future of their current paid parking proposal if Labor is re-elected.
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The council parking plan is set to return to Town Hall for consideration by the end of this year.
“This is free parking, and I think the Ballarat City Council dominated by the Liberal Party as it is, is all about charging people for parking,” Mr Andrews said. “Either charging you more, or introducing paid car parking where the parking is currently free.”
Wednesday’s election promise follows an earlier $2 million state government cash splash to City of Ballarat, to create 1,000 new car spaces, in order to cater for influx of public servants for the Civic Hall GovHub redevelopment.
Council have used part of that cash to build a new off-street car park in Creswick Road, with 300 spaces to be put on a vacant block of land next to Officeworks.
SEE BALLARAT’S FULL PARKING PROPOSAL
“The latest update I’ve had on that is that really, by the end of the month, that’s scheduled to completed,” regional development minister Jaala Pulford said of the Creswick Road build.
“[Parking] has been a difficult and challenging issue locally, the council has put out to public consultation a plan which has caused quite some disquiet in our community.”
Ballarat’s CBD is facing unusual parking pressure, with recent announcements including the GovHub build likely to amplify pressure.
The May announcement of a $461.6 million investment into the Ballarat Base Hospital will also add more workers to one of Ballarat’s most park-starved precincts. It is set to create up to 1,000 extra ongoing full time equivalent positions when completed in 2026.
The council parking plan is set to return to Town Hall for consideration by the end of this year.