Council wants to almost double Wellington weekend parking rates; retailers warn of 'last straw'

Monday, 15 March 2021

Capital business owners are incensed at a Wellington City Council proposal to almost double weekend parking rates, saying the “crazy” idea will make the city “lose its sparkle”.

With many central city restaurants and shops struggling to emerge from the shadow of Covid-19, the plan to sharply increase parking fees could be the “last straw,” say some struggling business owners.

“The council should be encouraging people to come into the city to support local businesses,” said Hamish Vance, the co-owner of Vance Vivian Menswear, which has been on Lambton Quay for 21 years. “To raise the parking fee in today’s environment, I think is crazy.”

Councillors recently voted 8-6 to increase hourly weekend parking rates across the city from $2.50 to $4.50 from July, as well as to increase daily coupon parking rates from $12 to $20. Parking in the central city was free until 2018, when the $2.50 charge was introduced.

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The council estimated that the increase in parking rates would generate just over $2 million a year. The proposal will go out for public consultation.

The plan feels like another blow for the central city, where many stores are already struggling to bounce back from the effects of Covid-19 and the closure of several car park buildings because of earthquake concerns.

There are also plans under the $6.4 billion Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme to remove private vehicles from the city’s Golden Mile, widen footpaths, and convert intersections with many side streets into pedestrian areas.

Luxury retailer David Jones has announced plans to close its huge store in the heart of Lambton Quay, while restaurants and bars have had to shut their doors because of a lack of patronage, partly driven by the increasing incidence of working from home.

Parking in the central city was free until 2018, before a $2.50 charge was introduced by the previous council.

Councillor Jill Day, who proposed the increase in the parking fees during discussion on the council’s draft 10-year plan, said she understood and shared the business community's frustrations.

“These charges are not final and will likely be reduced if that is the result of the consultation with the community,” she said.

The change was proposed to avoid cuts to the council’s book-buying budget and secure more money for climate change initiatives, Day said.

That was little consolation for retailers.

Man to Man co-owner David Clareburt said increasing parking rates was a further blow on top of the “absolutely crazy” proposal to remove cars from the Golden Mile.

“For some … it could be the last straw, especially when we’ve had such a hard year because of Covid,” he said in his store on Victoria Street.

David Byrne, who owns Hurricane Denim, Fusion Surf Skate, and Miss Wong Clothier in central Wellington, said penalising people from driving would lead them to shop elsewhere, not to use public transport as the council was hoping.

“It will make the heart of the city lose its sparkle due to the lack of shoppers enjoying themselves,” he said.

Wellington Mayor Andy Foster, who was part of a last-ditch effort to save free weekend parking in 2018, said the change was proposed without any advice from council officers to suggest it was needed.

“I am concerned that we will undermine the attractiveness of visiting the central city in the weekend, and particularly doing that at a time when we know that our foot traffic has already been adversely impacted by Covid-19,” he said.

“I’m certainly going to be looking forward to the feedback we get on this through the consultation process.”

Wellington’s Reading car park building was demolished following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, while the Civic Square and James Smith parking buildings are closed because of earthquake risks.

The Michael Fowler Centre car park also recently closed because the space is being used by the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Councillors also agreed to extend the time limit for after-hours and weekend parking from two hours to three hours.

Increasing parking charges – how they voted:

For: Jenny Condie, Jill Day, Fleur Fitzsimons, Laurie Foon, Rebecca Matthews, Teri O'Neill, Iona Pannett, Tamatha Paul. Against: Andy Foster, Diane Calvert, Sarah Free, Sean Rush, Malcolm Sparrow, Simon Woolf. Absent: Nicola Young