Tauranga CBD parking woes: Petition met with resistance as struggling businesses plead for delay

Parking woes continue in the Tauranga CBD.

A business owner has told the Tauranga City Council the closure of a waterfront car park could be the “final nail in the coffin” for the CBD.

The comment came as a petition was presented to the Tauranga City Council today opposing the closure of the car park on The Strand, which had 147 spaces.

Oscar & Otto owner Hamish Carter told the meeting his sales had dropped 11 per cent since the car park closed on October 30.

“Eleven per cent might not seem a lot but ... 11 per cent is the difference between scraping by or having to cut staff hours, paying the mortgage on time, or draining the mortgage to keep [going].”

Carter said some regular customerswere no longer visiting.

In his view, the car park’s closure seemed to be the “final nail in the coffin for many businesses”.

“We’ve endured very challenging times and should not be penalised for remaining in the CBD by the unnecessary closure of the car park.”

Ash Gee, chair of Mainstreet Tauranga, presents a petition to the Tauranga City Council concerning the closure of the Waterfront Car Park. Photo / Alex Cairns

Mainstreet Tauranga chairwoman Ashleigh Gee presented the petition, which had nearly 3000 signatories, and asked for “ support and breathing space”.

Gee, who also owns Miss Gee’s Bar and Eatery, said the consultation seemed “extremely rushed”.

“It was a complete blindside to many.

“Visitors to the city centre are getting more and more frustrated as parking gets harder and harder to find.”

The newly opened first stage of the Dive Cres carpark was often full by 9am, Gee said.

Hamish Carter, owner of Oscar & Otto, speaking in the public forum at the Tauranga City Council about the closure of The Strand waterfront carpark. Photo / Alex Cairns

Public transport had also been “slow to respond” to the changes.

Gee called for improved lighting and safety measures at car parking buildings.

Commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said they had “a lot of sympathy for businesses” and listed “an enormous amount of assistance to help the city centre with inevitable disruption”.

This included adjusting free parking hours from 6pm to 5pm “particularly to help the hospitality industry” and ensuring the Tauranga Arts Festival 2023 held events in the CBD.

Tolley said the waterfront works could not be delayed as the rebuilding of the sea wall could only be done during summer.

“Putting it off means it might never happen. So no time is a good time.”

Anne Tolley, commissioner chair of the Tauranga City Council, listens as Ash Gee presents a petition. Photo / Alex Cairns

Tolley said the disruption would likely continue for five to six years.

“I have to say, publicly talking constantly about how there are no car parks, how it’s not safe ... that goes into the paper and worsens the situation, actually,” Tolley said.

“I have been to functions at night and never had a problem finding a car park.”

Tolley said the commission would consider the petition.

CBD bar owner considers closure amid staffing, parking struggle

Stewart Gebbie's Tauranga pub The Barrel Room. Photo / George Novak

Stewart Gebbie, owner of The Barrel Room owner, fears the carpark closure could create staffing issues that could threaten the future of his business.

Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times before today’s meeting, Gebbie said it was “nearly impossible” for staff to get to and from work due to the later shifts they worked.

“The staff don’t have access to public transport at the end of their shift ... and paying $30 a day for parking isn’t an option for them when it’s free if they work in one of the suburban bars.”

Gebbie said he had lost staff to suburban bars “for less money but they don’t have to pay for parking”.

“It’s getting harder and harder ...”

“If we can’t staff the place, then we won’t be able to operate, so what choice do we have?

“Obviously if we can’t find staff, we will have to close.”

Manager Julia Suter said she typically finished work between 9pm and 11pm and then walked about 10 minutes to her car.

Previously, she’d walk to the waterfront car park within four minutes and it was “brightly lit”.

City council development and partnerships general manager Gareth Wallis said the transformation of the city centre was a once-in-a-generation opportunity, but people might not be able to park in the same places.

The car park closure was part of the revitalisation of the waterfront, which would see a green reserve and playground created. It would also become an alternative event space to bring more people to the CBD, he said.

He noted the closure coincided with the return to full capacity of the Spring Street parking building, following strengthening work. This meant the number of parking spaceshad stayed relatively stable.

Council had monitored parking for the past week and spaces had always been available in the two parking buildings (Spring St and Elizabeth St) as well as at Cliff Rd, Wallis said.

About 10 temporary car parks were installed along Willow St and once the upgrade of the Dive Cres carpark was complete, about 150 car parks would be available.

A new off-street carpark was also set to open early next year on Devonport Rd with more than 100 all-day car parks and about 200 parking spaces would open at a private development on Hamilton St in mid-2024.

Wallis said the council was working to support the city centre through the period of disruption.

This included -

• The reintroduction of free weekend parking. .
• Changing the time of paid evening parking from 6pm to 5pm to make parking more accessible. .
• Introducing lease structure changes in carpark buildings to free up spaces not frequently used.
• Setting up electronic parking signsto provide data on available off-street parking spaces.
• New covered bike parking on Grey St.
• Support for events such as the Arts Festival,mentoring for business owners and creating a new city safety and engagement adviser role..
• Events to bring more people to the area.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council public transport director Mike Seaborne said most bus services to and from the CBD ended about 8pm. While the council had looked into the viability of a night service, it was not currently being considered.

Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.