Parking charge

The year of free Saturday parking in New Plymouth’s CBD has come to an end - and from this weekend drivers will have to pay. In March the New Plymouth District Council decided to stop the free Saturday parking once the 12-month trial ended on June 30, despite some retailers saying parking charges put them at a disadvantage, particularly when compared to the Valley Mega Centre, where spaces are free. Since the trial began, parking space occupancy had increased 60 per cent on some Saturdays - 20 per cent more than the usual trend. But the council decided it would be better to invest the estimated $310,000 a year that will come from the Saturday car parking charges back into the city’s CBD. Councillor Shaun Biesiek said New Plymouth’s CBD was the district’s and region’s business, social and cultural hub, but it was facing challenges. "Visitor and shopping trends are changing. To give the central city the support and energy it needs to thrive, we need to seize new opportunities and be more creative about how we do that. "The funding we get from Saturday parking revenue will help us entice local, national and international visitors, which will in turn bring jobs and business opportunities." The funding will go towards more public events in the central city, enhancing the facades of selected heritage buildings, better management of CBD trees and the creation of a Central City Liaison. There is a PayMyPark app that enables users to pay for parking via their smartphone. Users can extend their parking time remotely, receive an alert when their paid parking is about to expire, or use the start/stop function and pay for only the parking minutes that are used.