HURSTVILLE Council will investigate the feasibility of constructing a new four- or six-storey car park within the Edgbaston Road, Beverly Hills, car park site.
Hurstville mayor Con Hindi said that over the past few years the Beverly Hills shopping centre had undergone a resurgence, partly due to its vibrant restaurant scene, which had added to parking problems in the area.
"I have been approached by many residents and shop owners expressing their frustration at the lack of parking in the area and they are concerned that their businesses are suffering as a consequence," Cr Hindi said.
"From my own personal experience, I recently spent 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot in the area."
Cr Hindi said the existing Edgbaston Road car park, which had 92 spaces with a three-hours-a-day limit, could not cope with demand.
The council is seeking designs and costings for either a four-storey or six-storey above-ground car park and wants state and federal government support.
Cr Hindi said if the project was to go ahead, it would be a win-win for the state government and the council as traffic congestion along King Georges Road would ease and car park spaces would increase five-fold at a minimum.
"Commuters using the M5 to go to the city could potentially exit at King Georges Road and park at Beverly Hills and make their final journey by train to help further reduce traffic congestion on major arterial roads," he said.
Cr Hindi said the council was committed to providing infrastructure that met the community's needs. "Creating more parking spaces is vital and is the only long-term solution to this issue," he said.
Cr Hindi said Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian appeared interested in the proposal during preliminary discussions.
BIG PROBLEM
Hairdresser Alicia Alderton, who travels from Campbelltown every day to her job at Take Two Hair Artistry, agreed it was hard to park.
‘‘It is a nightmare every day to find a park,’’ she said.
‘‘It takes me 10 to 15 minutes to find a park in the mornings.
‘‘This would solve problems for the local businesses as many go broke because there is nowhere for customers to park.’’
But Merv Evers, a resident of 40 years, said a similar idea got voted down in 2004 when the cinema wanted to expand.
‘‘All shops would want this because they all want more parking but it is not an easy thing to do,’’ he said.
‘‘The RMS would not allow it because it would create a terrible bottleneck and interfere with traffic on King Georges Road.
‘‘But the whole of Beverly Hills needs modernising.’’
Do you think Beverly Hills needs modernising?
