Offer to Consider Alternative on Parking but Wary of Costs to Community

Posted on November 16, 2022

Proponents of The Church development in Bridge Street Campbell Town are being encouraged to make a formal request to Northern Midlands Council to consider provision of parking spaces on Council streets instead of on-site.

Northern Midlands Mayor Mary Knowles said today it was a requirement under the planning scheme for property developers to provide car parking at their own expense and this was the normal practice.

“For example, the proponents of a new building on the Anglican Church site in High Street were required to provide 55 car parks on site, The Grange’s meeting room and function centre provided 32 spaces on site and the Banjo’s redevelopment provided 24 spaces on site – eight more than required under the scheme,” she said.

“For this development, as per the applicant’s own traffic management study, the developer was required to provide 39 car parks,” Mayor Knowles said.

She said the development proponent did not want to provide parking on their own land and was proposing all 39 car parking spaces be provided on the Council’s road reserves, but the General Manager only requested nine formal car parks in the road reserve.

“There is a provision that where parking is not being provided within the development site that permission can be sought from the Council’s General Manager to locate parking on Council land. In that situation the General Manager then determines the standard of parking required.

“In line with this, the proponent has been advised to make a request to Council for their preference for car parking in Council streets which is 11 gravel parking spaces, with drainage, in Bridge Street and the use of Council streets for the remaining 28 car space requirements,” Mayor Knowles said.

“While this is unusual the whole Council would then have an opportunity to consider the request. It is then up to Councillors who can either agree with the original traffic impact statement, the proponent’s preferred option, the General Manager’s alternative compromise proposal, or to make some other decision. However, to date Council has not received a formal request,” Mayor Knowles said.

Mayor Knowles said while Council encouraged investment, councillors would need to weigh up the facts that the road reserves in the area around the development were not constructed to current standards for parking and that the cost of any required upgrades and maintenance would be borne by the community.

For further information, please contact Mayor Mary Knowles OAM on 0408 766 625.