Parking charges dropped

Council goes easy

PARKING will be made free of charge at North Hobart’s offstreet car parks after 6pm under changes approved by Hobart City Council.

The council will also introduce charges for parking at certain times on Elizabeth Street in the North Hobart dining strip.

Parking on Elizabeth Street between Federal and Burnett streets will be limited to 30 minutes, at a cost of $ 1 for half an hour, from 11am- 2pm and 5pm- 8pm.

Parking will be free of charge at other times but the half- hour time limit will remain.

To cater for longer visits, the off- street car parks at Condell Place and Lefroy Street will be free of charge after 6pm for stays of up to three hours.

Prior to 6pm, parking will be $ 2 an hour — a 30 per cent reduction on current charges.

Line marking will be implemented in six surrounding streets where commuter parking has caused problems for residential access.

A council spokeswoman said the changes were part of a program to improve accessibility and travel options in North Hobart, and were being undertaken in full consultation with residents and traders.

Also at Monday night’s meeting the council deferred a decision on a new vision for parking and access to North Hobart.

The council has commissioned consultants Village Well and MRCagney to develop a Place Vision and an Access and Parking Plan for North Hobart, to guide the future delivery of public amenity, access and parking in the North Hobart Elizabeth Street retail and restaurant strip.

Proposals in the report include:

INCREASED activation of events in North Hobart’s public spaces, including Condell Place car park; ATTRACTING a new operator to North Hobart offering convenience products and fresh food; REVITALISING laneways; TRIALLING a side street pedestrian plaza off Elizabeth Street, with the short- term closure of Newdegate Street.

Alderman Marti Zucco labelled the report “a joke”.

Alderman Zucco said it was written to achieve a predetermined outcome to turn the Condell car park into a public space when North Hobart was crying out for parking.

There is no specific budgetary allocation to support the majority of the proposals included in the report.