Park and pay: Westfield Miranda has put in a development application to introduce a car park control system after winning against Sutherland Shire Council in the Land and Environment Court. Picture: John Veage
A DECISION by Westfield to introduce paid parking at its Miranda shopping centre will force workers to park in surrounding streets and will affect residents, Sutherland Shire mayor Carol Provan says.
‘‘Sutherland Shire Council does not support paid parking,’’ Councillor Provan said.
‘‘However, the Land and Environment Court approved the system; introducing paid parking at Miranda will disadvantage retail workers on lower wages who work at the centre.
‘‘Forcing workers to park in surrounding streets will impact on residents.’’
A Westfield spokeswoman said the managed parking system at Miranda would include the installation of boom gates, a parking guidance system, and a minimum three-hour free period followed by incremental payments.
Retail workers employed at the centre will get the first 4 hours free.
The managed car parking system will not be introduced before the completion of the centre’s redevelopment, scheduled for 2015.
Westfield first applied to the council in September 2010 for approval to introduce a parking control system.
But the application was unanimously refused by the council on the grounds that it would result in cars being displaced to surrounding streets, that it would have unacceptable social impacts upon staff and was not in the public interest.
Westfield appealed in the Land and Environment Court and the appeal was upheld in December 2011, subject to conditions.
The council considered the court had erred in its decision and lodged an appeal, seeking to regulate the parking fees charged to workers.
As a compromise, Westfield agreed to extend the free staff parking period to 4 hours to enable retail workers on four-hour shifts to get to and from their workplace without incurring parking fees.
Westfield offered to set the staff parking fee at $5 a day after 4 hours, and indexed to inflation.
Westfield then submitted an application to the court to modify the court’s approval to incorporate these changes and to remove the need for any parking surveys to be done.
The court then approved the modified application and the council discontinued its appeal.
Westfield has previously said that controlled parking would discourage rail commuters from using the car park all day.
Other Westfield shopping centres at Chatswood, Bondi Junction and Burwood also have paid parking.
Will paid parking stop you parking at Westfield Miranda?