A COMPROMISE has been reached over a parking permit scheme for Chelsea traders with a 12-month trial set to begin early next year.
Some shop owners were unhappy with the details of a scheme due to begin in September so Kingston Council has decided to make “significant” changes to the plan.
Traders had criticised an “excessive” $268 annual fee per parking space and questioned whether 80 car parking spaces behind the behind the Chelsea shopping centre near the Woolworths store was a sufficient number for small business owners and their staff (‘Backlash over parking permits’, The News 13/8/14).
At this week’s council meeting, Cr Tamsin Bearsley said changes to the permit plan had been made after “a series of discussions with the traders”.
“There was significant interest in the scheme and that’s made us change the total number of permits available from 80 to 100 and we’ll see how that goes,” Cr Bearsley said.
“We’ve made a few significant changes because some of the traders said they were confused about where they were going to park and they were unhappy with the limited number of parks available.”
The new scheme – to be rolled out after the summer holiday season – will see traders offered four parking permits each for themselves and employees.
Each permit will cost $200 per year.
Reserved trader parking spaces will be available at the southern and northern ends of the Chelsea shopping centre car park with the central area open to shoppers.
Parking restrictions for shoppers and residents will only apply 9am-5pm on weekdays, not overnight or on weekends.
“We believe the new restrictions strike a good balance between the needs of shoppers and staff and we will carefully monitor the success of the trial over the next 12 months,” Kingston mayor Cr Geoff Gledhill said.
About ten all-day car parking spaces in the area, possibly regularly used by commuters, will be converted into 4-hour restricted spaces for shoppers.
“We will continue to monitor to ensure the scheme meets both traders’ and shoppers’ needs,” Cr Bearsley said.
Cr Bearsley thanked traders for their patience and asked for feedback during the 12-month trial next year.
