A new parking plan was minted unanimously by City of Ballarat councillors on Wednesday night, with parking to be $3 per hour in the CBD. 

The new plan will see a 14 per cent increase in the amount of paid parking in Ballarat’s CBD, or around 405 new car parks.

Off-street parking, such as the Eastwood Street car park and forthcoming Creswick Road site, will be $6.50 all day.

Free parking for workers is planned to be opened up along Scotts Parade at Eastern Oval, next to Haymes Paint, which will include 140 spaces. 

The plan will cost $1.6 million to implement, including additional signage and technology. 

Under the defeated plan recommended by council officers on February 11, drivers would have received 30 minutes free parking in the CBD, before a staggered pricing plan costing up to $30.50 for a full day. 

Councillor Ben Taylor, who moved the motion, said the council "needed to do something around those residential areas where the pressures are right now". 

"It's the best balance possible, it does meet the needs of nearly everyone on this occasion. While workers may not be benefited through the process, we're at least looking at additional parking around the CBD," he said. 

ZOOM IN TO BALLARAT TO SEE THE PAID ZONE IN PINK, TIMED ZONE IN BLUE

The success of the approved plan hinges on new parking techonlogy, including license plate recognition to police those overstaying in timed parking, and a mobile phone app where users can pay for parking remotely. 

Council officers had previously stated that the earliest the plan could be implemented in is 12 months time.

A question mark still hangs over Labor’s election promise of $14 million, to create 1000 more free car parks in the CBD, including multi-storeys. The state government has said a decision on the free parks would be made by the end of this year, and sites would “focus on the use of public land, primarily available VicTrack land or existing VicTrack car parking sites”.

Councillor Des Hudson said there was fear when "changing the regime, we will displace that (all day worker parking) to the next outer rim".

"I'm pleased to hear this is a very fluid plan, we may not lock it down 100 per cent," he said. 

Frances Dorian, a resident living just off Webster Street, said she had no driveway and was concerned there would be little turnover of parking near her home if it was converted partially to all day parking. 

"Council have acknowledged the issue of no front driveway access is a legitimate issue," she said. "The Webster Street Cafe generates a lot of traffic turnover … but such a situation of all day parking would mean a total loss of parking access within reasonable distance of my premises."

The defeated council officer plan stated it would cost $2 per hour for the first two and a half paid hours in the centre of Ballarat, with hours three to six costing $4.50 per hour, before $6 per hour for those staying in the CBD for longer than six hours. 

The Courier understands a promise of two hours free parking in the CBD, initially floated by Cr Taylor, would have lost council $1.8 million in parking revenue each year. 

City of Ballarat's director of infrastructure and environment Terry Demeo said with the plan signed off by councillors, they would now be required to "commit budgetary funds at the middle of the year for the complete infrastructure commitment". 

"It will be around a 12 month delivery for whole new suite of meters and parking enforcement technology. But we will move immediately re: residential signage," he said. 

The debate about what to do with Ballarat's parking woes have been long-running. A review of the city's parking was initiated in 2015. 

A controversial plan floated by council in May last year would have created an 4,300 additional paid spaces, in order to force all-day workers out of residential areas in the hospital precinct.