TOP STORY: Malls and parking blamed for CBD fall-off

Trade on Tauranga's premier shopping street has plummeted so much due to a fall in shoppers that one leading boutique has daily takings as low as $30.
The shocking anecdote was provided during a Bay of Plenty Times survey of Devonport Rd retailers in which we canvassed opinion on how they were doing and asked what can be done to lure more people in.
Of the 18 retailers we spoke to, only two said they had not noticed a drop in recent months in the number of shoppers.
The majority painted a bleak picture of Devonport Rd, saying the street was "dying" as shoppers fed up with paying parking charges were flocking to out-of-town centres such as Fashion Island at Papamoa, leaving the city's central area lacking vibrancy.
Trade on Saturdays _ traditionally regarded as the busiest day of the week _ had dropped off significantly in the past two years and retailers were concerned about their future prospects.
"People do not need to go into the city," one retailer said. "You can go to Fashion Island where there are eating places and free parking."
One fashion retailer said "there is no one here".
The retailer, who reported days where takings had been as low as $30, said "Devonport Rd is really dead", while another said the street looked "really empty".
Chris O'Donnell, owner of The Garden, a surf, skate and snow fashion store, said he believed there had been a fall in the number of shoppers on Devonport Rd since shopping centres away from town opened.
"Malls have easy access from many ways. People will not be drawn in here, they do not tend to want to get out of their car," Mr O'Donnell, who has worked on Devonport Rd for 16 years, said.
Downtown Tauranga's biggest shopping rival _ Bayfair _ was cited as a key reason for a perceived drop in shoppers. The 85-store centre has more than 1000 free spaces and an increase of 20,000sq m in retail floorspace is in the pipeline.
When the Bay Times went to Bayfair and asked people why they chose to shop there, free parking and airconditioning were cited two of the main factors.
Our survey follows a warning last month from retail experts that the CBD as a whole was at risk of "going bust" because of new and planned out-of-town retail developments. Tim Heath and Adam Thompson of Property Economics presented their findings to the council after a four-month retail and commercial study of Tauranga and the Western Bay.
Mr Heath told the council that the CBD was "getting hurt" and that most retailers wanted to get out because there was not a high flow of pedestrians.
A pedestrian count of the CBD commissioned by Mainstreet Tauranga, which represents 550 businesses in the CBD, retail, commercial, service and hospitality industries, revealed there had been a 7 per cent decrease in foot traffic in 2006 compared with 2005.
"This reflects what most retailers/businesses have been experiencing, and of course will have a real impact on trade," Mainstreet manager Kirby Weis said.
A recurring complaint from retailers the Bay Times spoke to was that parking in the CBD cost too much and that there was not enough of it. They were also worried about what would happen when parking fees increased to support the funding of extra public transport.
All-day parking currently costs $4 but it will go up by 50 cents for the 2007-08 financial year and by 2013-14 it will have risen to $10.
Frank Begley, city council transportation communications manager, said any increase in fees for short-term metered spaces could be less than that for the all-day parking.
"If parking is too cheap it becomes a disincentive to catching a bus, which has a corresponding negative effect on congestion," he added.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said he had not noticed a fall in the number of shoppers on Devonport Rd. He supported the de-centralisation of shopping but said the CBD was a critical part of the city and would always remain so.
Mr Crosby said a key reason retailers should be positive about the future was that the council is inviting expressions of interest from developers for council-owned land between The Strand and Devonport Rd. The development of the land, which is behind the IRD building, will "stimulate a lot of activity", Mr Crosby said.
Mr Crosby's view that retailers should be positive about the CBD was supported by Val Auld, manager of gift and homeware store Cabbages & Kings. Mrs Auld said it was a "load of hogwash" that the street was on a downturn.
"It is just rubbish that it is dying. I think it is positive and vibrant here."