The future of parking in the Central City

Christchurch City Council has today approved the Christchurch Central Parking Plan, which monitors the current supply and demand for parking for the Central City – and forecasts its likely future.

"Our Parking Plan is a live, online document," explains Councillor Phil Clearwater, chair of the Infrastructure, Transport and Environment Committee. "Using the data in the Plan, developers and planners can look at the current and projected patterns and identify likely locations of parking facilities needed to support the city as it recovers from the Canterbury earthquakes. The rebuild gives us a great opportunity to take a fresh look at parking and its role in creating a safe, accessible and people-friendly Central City."

The Parking Plan was developed jointly with the Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU). It is intended as the key source of information for the Council, the Crown and the city's development and business communities in gaining a shared understanding of ongoing parking needs and supply across the Central City. The information will also enable the private sector to make decisions about their own parking provision, as well as opportunities to be involved in providing private and public parking facilities.

Christchurch Central Development Unit acting Director Baden Ewart says parking is crucial to the recovery of the Central City.

"The right balance of off-street and on-street parking will help create a welcoming environment and support the development of a vibrant Central City," he says.

"Both CCDU and Christchurch City Council are working on complementary projects which will result in well-located, easily accessible car and cycle parking, which does not dominate city streets.

"Although we expect that over time, more people will use public transport and bikes to travel to and from the city, there is still a vital need for short-stay public car parking now and well into the future.

"I’m confident that some of the best solutions will come from forward-thinking developers and investors," Mr Ewart says.

Cr Clearwater says, "The Plan recommends that the Council's top priority should be to facilitate the delivery of short-stay parking for visitors, rather than long-stay parking for commuters, to encourage visitors and support businesses and create a prosperous, vital Central City.

"There are a number of ways to do this – through the rebuild of Council-owned parking buildings, the provision of other parking areas and working with the private sector to deliver parking. Our approach to long-stay (commuter) parking is the same as it was pre-quake – we're looking at private developments and private suppliers to meet most of the demand that they believe their developments need, along with capturing opportunities for shared public/private parking, and promoting the range of travel choices people have open to them."

The Parking Plan is a key part of An Accessible City, which aims to make it easier for people, cars, bicycles and public transport to get to, from, and around Central Christchurch.

"We're committed to keeping people continually updated on parking in the Central City and the live, constantly-evolving nature of the Parking Plan is the perfect way to keep tabs and steer the rebuild in the right direction," Cr Clearwater says.

The Parking Plan can be viewed at www.ccc.govt.nz/ParkingPlan

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