Car parking pressure mounts

Car parking pressure mounts

By Daniel Kemp

Competition for parking spaces in Docklands is set to increase with the closure of the car park at the end of North Wharf Rd from May 4.

The car park will be closed due to issues of vehicle safety and accessibility relating to construction in Victoria Harbour.

Lend Lease has advised drivers to use alternative public parking at NAB (800 Bourke St) and Etihad Stadium.

A spokesperson for Lend Lease said: “Etihad Stadium, together with other car parking stations that service the immediate area, can accommodate an additional 1000 vehicles.”

“We are in the process of determining whether a section of the North Wharf car park can remain open during construction. Vehicle safety and accessibility will determine whether this is possible given the level of construction underway including the commencement of works on Collins St,” the spokesperson said.

Docklands News understands that Etihad Stadium has between 300 and 400 parking spaces available each day on a casual basis, but that 800 Bourke St has only 64 spaces. Other car parks nearby also have spaces for casual parking, with availability varying on a daily basis.

Further complicating matters is the possibility that Etihad Stadium will soon have no spaces left at all for casual parking during the day.

An Etihad Stadium spokesperson reassured drivers that there were still currently spaces for either casual or permanent parkers, but this may change in the future.

Etihad Stadium’s communications manager Bill Lane said: “With so much development going on around the stadium and within the precinct, we’re hoping that there will come a time when space in our car park is at an absolute premium but it has not happened yet.”

“We have no doubts though that the NAB and LU Simon developments at the southern and northern ends of Etihad Stadium will definitely lead to spikes in our car park business. Our advice to Docklands workers considering a permanent parking space is to make a decision sooner rather than later.”

Referring to the car park on North Wharf Rd, Mr. Lane added: “We have leased this land from Places Victoria but this arrangement has reached an expiration, and we understand the space will be used for development.”

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