COUNCIL OVERSTATES CAR PARKING

The Council Newsletter, posted on the Manningham website on the 19/12/2015 announced that the construction of Westfield’s five storey car park would start early next year It went on to say that it was to be located in the north east corner of the car park adjacent to Goodsen Street and would add 854 car spaces to Westfield’s available parking. However according to the council minutes Sep/14 the above statement published in the Newsletter is misleading.The car park will only be providing an additional 570 spaces after the 284 car bays it displaces have been deducted. This does not take into account the 368 temporary staff and customer car parking spaces, available on two privately owned development sites adjacent to Westfield, which means the total addition to it’s available parking could be reduced to a miserly 202 extra car bays when these building sites are required for development early next year, still short of required.availability.

View of Multi Deck Looking From S/West Click to enlarge

 

However according to the council minutes Sep/14 the above statement published in the Newsletter is misleading.The car park will only be providing an additional 570 spaces after the 284 car bays it displaces have been deducted. This does not take into account the 368 temporary staff and customer car parking spaces, available on two privately owned development sites adjacent to Westfield, which means the total addition to it’s available parking could be reduced to  a miserly 202 extra car bays when these building sites are required for development early next year. Westfield has the lowest rate of parking currently available, and following the construction of the proposed multi level car park will still have less parking per 100 sqm GFLA than the other other regional centres with the exception of the expanded Eastland Shopping Centre (which is in proximity to Ringwood train station and two adjacent shopping centres that have generous at grade parking)

Multi Deck Location Click to enlarge

Multi Deck Location

Westfield’s parking supply would seem more reasonable if council had taken professional advice and created public off street parking areas for its community instead of private parking areas having to bear the brunt of car parking .intrusion.

The shortage of off- street parking spaces on Doncaster Hill will increase as Manningham council, who have limited parking spaces available in its own parking areas on weekdays after catering for 95% of employees who drive cars, have not provided any extra off-street parking outside its own boundaries since development began 13 years ago, continue to claim there is adequate off-street parking throughout Doncaster Hill. The situation will only worsen as  traffic and parking demand, generated by the current surge in apartment building quadruples.

13 Comments

  1. Nearco says:

    Council’s own traffic and parking officer had recommended the construction of two multi deck car parks, one of them to be located south of Doncaster Road, an area where there is no public off street parking whatsoever. If you complain about it they just waffle and say there will be another parking study the following year. It results in some trivial issues being addressed, but no extra parking.. The same tactic was used with the Wooldridge rail study election stunt which has cost the community millions just to confirm what we already knew….A rail line to Doncaster Hill could not be justified.

    1. Anonyme says:

      It seems like Council’s propaganda unit has deliberately inflated Westfield parking space numbers in the multi deck to give the impression that everything is honky dory which lessens the need for them to do anything about urgently needed parking areas themselves. Can you imagine how long these lazy people would last in private enterprise?

    2. Gridlock says:

      284 car spaces is a lot of parking not to have. It represents nearly half the total off street parking Manningham council has created. Council’s entire contribution to Doncaster Hill’s off street parking tally is a paltry 600 car spaces in the area surrounding the council grounds. The total includes 230 unrestricted car spaces at the sports ground and opposite the bowling club, the remainder are either dedicated, time restricted or servicing the community hub (basement) the library, function rooms, restaurant and visitors to Doncaster Hill. Weekday parking has become a nightmare with council staff and visitors taking all the unrestricted parking.

  2. Bel Harris says:

    Our newsletter publications do tend to exaggerate when promoting Doncaster Hill especially when it concerns car parking, transport and employment. While the local market knows of the pitfalls, and is turning away, our newsletter promotional material could be exploited by unscrupulous agents selling Doncaster Hill apartments in Asia.
    We should not have overplayed the importance of the rail study which only served to demonstrate why the railway line won’t be built…the authority’s refusal not to complete the second part of the study is surely proof of that.
    I had written to council back in 2011 to suggest that we investigate the prospect of acquiring the site on the corner of Doncaster Road and Whittens Lane to build a multi deck car park similar to the three that Monash built at Glen Waverley Activity Centre.

    1. Nick says:

      That would be the only option for a parking station because all other suitable sites are under development but I doubt the owners would interested because they are able to build an apartment building up to a prescribed height of 21.5 metres on that site.

    2. Mardene says:

      The rate of increase in traffic and parking gridlock and the overstretching of our services will depend on whether overseas investors (mainly from China), who are building and buying most of Doncaster Hill’s units, decide to rent or leave the apartments vacant. Going by what is happening in Melbourne 25% to 30% could remain unoccupied. If the current rate of Chinese and overseas investment continues we could see most of Doncaster Hill’s 4,080 planned apartments, more likely 4,500, (close to half will be tiny one bedroom units) completed within 3-4 years. It seems that in the rush to place money in Australia, after it was decided foreign investors could purchase “off the plan”, no thought was given to where Doncaster Hill was located in relation to the city, the absence of Tram or Train and employment opportunities which have contributed to the lack of demand and the current decline in apartment resales prices on the local market which is where they must sell if they wish to dispose of their property.

  3. James says:

    Westfield is doing all it can to improve its car parking by building a five storey car park. This will allow them to vacate the land they have been renting since the expansion of the centre in 2008 and still add to their net parking availability. It is now up to Manningham council to take responsibility and also create more car parking.
    Westfield will also be providing safer access for pedestrians by providing a walkway through the car park entrance in Tower Street.

  4. Judy Neville says:

    If you don’t want to hack your way in and out of Westfield Shopping Centre, and need only short term parking, there are 25 angle parking spaces available in Council Street with a one hour limit. It is only a short walk to Westfield or the Municipal offices and it is only during the periods when parents drop off and pick up students from the State School opposite that there is no parking. If you get there early on weekends or during the holiday periods you can usually get a spot. Most of our groceries are purchased online so it is only perishable items that we require from time to time.
    Judy Neville

  5. Hazeldene says:

    Manningham council must do something positive about the car parking shortage on Doncaster Hill instead of wanting people to leave their cars at home and ride bikes and walk up the steep hills. Even if the area was flat, and there were safe dedicated bicycle paths, where would they be riding to? If they shopped at the supermarket where could they store their bikes and how would they carry their groceries? Catch the Bus and shop at the supermarket and then lug your groceries on and off the bus….Please!
    Cycle to work? Most of Manningham’s full time work force is located outside the municipal boundaries. City workers could cycle down Doncaster Road to the park and ride, making sure they have wet weather gear, a change of clothes and a showering facility at their destination. They would then return home wheeling their bikes back up Doncaster Road….an incline that our council says is too steep for trams! By the way have you seen a woman riding a bike on Doncaster Hill? How many of the council staff ride a bike to work?

    1. Sel says:

      The bike racks have been removed from Doncaster primary and secondary schools. They are no longer needed because parents will not allow children to cycle in the area because it is too dangerous.

    2. Valcurl says:

      Council staff and executives are vital to the smooth running of Manningham and should not be asked to ride bikes to work and risk serious injury.

  6. Less says:

    There is another side to the parking high-rise towers, it is the bright light shining down onto the homes around for extended hours. Spare a thought for people close by that do not get night darkness like normal folk, due to the parking lights. then there is the noise. However they might be willing to put up with that if it lessens the number of shoppers parking in their residential streets.

  7. Sheree says:

    Until Manningham Council can provide more space for cars we must be prepared to share parking areas on a communal basis. There are about 8 car spaces available in the area around artists building on the corner of Council Street on public holidays plus more than 30 spaces available in the Church of Christ’s parking area when it is not being used by its parishioners. The privately owned My Chemist car park on the corner of Whittens Lane is setting an example by providing parking to accommodate council staff and visitor overspill from the Civic Centre car park when it is at capacity during week days.

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