City of Ballarat have pushed back their long-awaited paid parking plan, following a state government parking promise.
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Council officers will present a Smarter Parking Plan progress report at the December 12 meeting, but councillors will not vote on the new plan until more community consultation takes place, potentially until February 2019.
Officers stated they needed more information about the $14 million election promise from the Labor government for 1,000 new free car parks within CBD before they could proceed.
The move stands in direct contrast to comments made by Mayor Samantha McIntosh in November, who said following the announcement there was “no suggestion [to her] the strategy needs to be changed”.
In a report, officers said the new proposal would include “a modest expansion around the hospital precinct and infill gaps within CBD”, with a 29 per cent expansion of the city’s paid parking areas.
It will include changes to Sturt, Drummond and Mair streets, and the Little Bridge Street car park.
The new update stands in stark contrast to the original parking plan, announced in May this year, which would have seen more than 4,300 new paid parking spaces created, more than doubling the current spots.
Watch Cr Samantha McIntosh discuss the Liberal parking plan last month (5:50 onwards).
Following the latest review, on-street parking in the CBD will potentially have the first 30 mins free, and then cost $2 per hour up to three hours, $4.50 per hour for hours three to six, and $6 per hour if you park on-street for more than six hours.
All day parking in off-street areas will cost $6.50 per day.
Consultation showed overall the “community does not want any major extension of the Ballarat CBD’s paid parking network”, according to the tabled proposal report.
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