The Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board this week discussed changes to parking in town, including introducing $2 an-hour parking in the heart of the central business district and along the lakefront.
Mr Telfer told the board on Wednesday there had never before been ‘‘free parking’’ in Wānaka.
Putting parking in place in Ardmore St cost $780,000, he said.
‘‘That fell on ratepayers,’’ he said.
‘‘I want to make it clear there isn’t ‘free parking’ — it’s ‘hidden cost of parking’ and at the moment those that benefit from it are those people who come to enjoy our town for a day or two ... and it is the community that is paying for it.
‘‘Parking in town goes hand in-hand with the reimagination and redevelopment of the town centre.’’
The community board was updated on a suite of parking management plans, including the proposed changes to parking in Wānaka.
Queenstown Lakes District Council staff sought feedback from the board before the parking plans were taken to the full council for workshopping and then public consultation.
Council strategy planning manager Tony Pickard’s presentation to the community board included four ‘‘precincts’’ in the town centre where parking was proposed to change.
‘‘Four parking precincts — core, Pembroke, fringe and lakefront — have been identified for Wānaka town centre; these precincts have been defined based on access and proximity to key land use activities,’’ the report stated.
The precinct dubbed ‘‘core’’ included upper Ardmore St and Brownston St and the ‘‘heart of the town centre’’, where parking was planned to be $2 per hour for on-street parking.
The Pembroke precinct, commonly used by commuters and tourists for all-day parking, would cost $1 per hour, or $6 per day.
The fringe precinct which included businesses and residential areas of central Wānaka would have changes implemented in two stages; initially time restrictions would be implemented on one half of the precinct.
Parking in the lakefront precinct, spanning the lower half of Ardmore St, would incur a $2-per-hour fee ($4 for campervans) with a mix of time restrictions.
Mr Pickard said the comprehensive parking management plan had been around a couple of years.
‘‘Resource-wise we are limited to what we can put into this work, so it is something that has spanned two or three years already.
‘‘We have heard lots and lots of different opinions on a huge scale, so it’s trying to find that balance,’’ he said.
Proposed additions to parking in central Wānaka included resident permits, new parent permits, zone based changes and implementation timings.
The report said most of the parking in the town centre is currently P30 or P60, which does not encourage customers to ‘‘linger longer’’.
‘‘Engagement with local stakeholders in 2023, including business owners, indicated that many saw the benefits of introducing paid parking to manage demand within the town centre.
‘‘A survey undertaken as part of the Wānaka master plan in 2019 found 48% of survey respondents supported the introduction of paid parking in the town centre,’’ the report stated.
A residential parking permit, linked to a vehicle licence plate, will be introduced in areas with high parking demand to give eligible residents exemptions from fees and time restrictions.
