Wollongong City Council Administrators tonight approved the introduction of casual 10 hour parking spaces to increase parking options in the CBD.

In August this year Administrators made a commitment to explore the future of vacant building sites in the city centre to determine if we can transform them into all day casual parking lots as they await construction or sale.

At a cost of 30 cents per hour, pro rata, the 10 hour parking spaces will be introduced when Council is able to acquire its first vacant blocks of land.

Administrator Dr Col Gellatly AO, said negotiations are currently underway with the receivers and managers of Wollongong City Plaza Pty Ltd to lease a portion of the former Dwyer’s site and the Oxford Tavern Car Park on a short term basis.

“Council has reached an agreement on the terms and conditions to lease 45 spaces in the Oxford Street Car Park on a month to month basis until the site is purchased, so we hope to have this open in the coming weeks,” Administrator Gellatly said.

“We are awaiting details of an environmental report undertaken in 2006 on the former Dwyers site to let us know if there is any potential contaminated material on the site that may require remediation.”

“The environmental report is important as the old Dwyers site will be expensive to turn into a temporary car park, so extra remediation costs may make the project unviable for ratepayers,” Dr Gellatly said.   

“Council will continue to explore options for 10 hour parking as part of a series of parking reforms announced in August, which included the introduction of pro-rata rates, free parking on Saturdays and after 4.30pm on weekdays, and extra free 15 minute parking.”

“Since these recent improvements to the Inner City Parking Strategy, we have seen parking meter usage and visitor numbers in the CBD increase,” Administrator Gellatly added.