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Takapuna shoppers will be offered two hours' free parking as a gesture to businesses struggling in the recession.
The North Shore City Council decided on a three months' trial yesterday after a plea from retailer Michael Sheehy, who is a member of the Takapuna Beach Business Association.
Mr Sheehy askedfor three hours' free parking at council parking lots at Anzac Ave and Killarney St, which have about 600 spaces in total and presently allow the first hour to be free.
"There's a recession on," he said. "Takapuna is the only shopping centre with paid parking on the Shore and the only one where its carpark was purchased by the business people. I believe [the $1 saving] is in the best interests of the people who paid for the carpark."
Council staff reported a drop in the carparks' use.
City councillor Kevin Schwass was angry at the council's budget meeting yesterday when he found the association's plea was being "kicked for touch" to a working party.
The town had 40 empty shops and some retailers did not sell anything in a whole day.
"There's urgency ... it can't wait six months.
"There will be no point in having parking because there will be no shops to go to."
Mr Schwass said Takapuna businesses paid $4.6 million a year to the city's rates.
A dollar saving would help to remove a perception that it was costly to shop in Takapuna.
Mayor Andrew Williams said he preferred two free hours because of concern that otherwise shoppers' spaces would be taken up by local workers, moving their cars around every three hours.
"Two hours is adequate for shopping," he said.
A trial period would establish how much parking revenues would suffer and allow charges to be reviewed.
Staff advised that 90 per cent of parking users left within an hour.
Free hours would have a significant impact on revenue and staff already projected a drop of $190,000 out of $630,000 revenue for both parking lots in the coming year.
Westfield shopping mall in Takapuna has offered three hours' free parking since last year.
