Free parking proposed in Christchurch City Council-owned off-street carparks

A proposal to offer one hour of free parking at all Christchurch City Council-owned off-street car parks will be put before councillors next month.

The Christchurch City Development Forum has recommended the council adopt the one-hour free policy for four months, starting in October, to coincide with the opening of the council-owned 800-space Lichfield St car park.

The forum, a closed-door group comprising city councillors and representatives of the business community, made the recommendation at its meeting on Thursday The council will make a decision on the proposal on September 7.

Forum chairman Cr Jamie Gough said the decision was not unanimous but there was majority support for it to go to council.

"We want to promote the central city and create compelling reasons for people to come in."

The council would also decide next month whether to consult during the 2018 Long Term Plan process on extending the initiative.

Some private sector car park operators were opposed to the proposal, but Gough said there was a general feeling amongst some operators that this approach was for the greater good of the city.

He said it might be in the interests of private sector operators to offer competitive rates.

The forum also recommended the council and Development Christchurch develop a wider central city parking strategy including investigating extending the scheme to privately-owned car parking buildings.

Cr Deon Swiggs, who is also on the forum, said there was quite a bit of push back to any free parking from private car park owners, who believed it would damage their business and permanently change people's behaviour to expecting free car parking.

The proposal would include about 1000 spaces in the city.

The Lichfield St car park building would be the city's largest parking building. It will join recently-completed projects including Ngai Tahu's 683-space West End building, developer Tim Glasson's 583-space building on Hereford St, and The Crossing's partially-opened facility, which will have 534-spaces upon completion.

The Lichfield building was expected to be completed in December last year, but was delayed due to the longer than expected demolition of the former building.

A free parking period in the city's largest parking building would almost certainly have an effect on its competitors' prices.

In June, Central City Business Association chairman Brendan Chase said the council's new facility would provide much-needed competition

"Essentially, the new building gives them a lever on the market, which they can pull if they need to," he said.

Developers had already been looking at free parking periods of their own. Antony Gough had said he would give customers free parking in his Hereford St parking building, opening near his The Terrace precinct..

"If you shop in our precinct, you will get your car parking paid for. The businesses will validate your ticket," he said.

The Lichfield building will have space for hundreds of bikes, as well as electronic charging stations.

Car parking has become a vexed topic in the city since the earthquakes, with frequent appeals from developers and the public for more options.

About 14,000 people will be working west of Colombo St by next year, Colliers International has estimated, far more than the number of car parks available.

There is also an estimated 2000-park shortfall at Christchurch Hospital.

Authorities have promoted public transport and cycling as alternative methods of travel.