Cumberland Council headquarters decision to delay carparking increase
Granville could be home to Cumberland Council’s new headquarters but the project might delay solving the suburb’s parking problems.
Granville could be home to Cumberland Council’s new headquarters but the project might delay solving the suburb’s parking problems.
At a recent meeting, the council agreed to hold a workshop to discuss where an administration centre would be built — near the commuter carpark at Memorial Drive and Mary St opposite Granville train station or the existing council office at Merrylands.
Since Holroyd, Auburn and parts of Parramatta local government areas merged in 2016, Cumberland has maintained administration centres at Merrylands and Auburn.
However, a meeting this week raised the need for a multistorey carpark at Granville town centre where there is a demand for space.
Of Granville town centre’s 796 car spaces, 44.5 per cent offer all day parking while 15.8 per cent were for two-hour restrictions and 15.7 per cent for one-hour limits.
The Memorial Drive carpark has 61 all-day parking spots and 50 with two-hour limits while one section from William to Mary streets has 84 spots.
South St has 26 one-hour spots, eight half-hour locations and 14 one-quarter spots.
A council survey showed several vacancies in time-limited car spaces, indicating the demand for parking was satisfactory.
But the council acknowledged parking was still in high demand for train commuters and a multi-deck carpark would be the only solution.
However, it acknowledge that could not happen until the preferred council administration building site had been determined.
Councillor Joseph Rahme called for parking solutions to be addressed regardless of the administration centre.
“I don’t want it to be reliant on an admin building,’’ he said.
“Whether the admin building goes ahead or not we should be considering a multi-level carpark in Granville, that’s my point.
“Every time I go to Granville it takes 20 minutes to find parking and, I’m putting my resident hat on.
“That tells me there is a shortage and people find themselves driving around and around.”
Cumberland Council executive operations manager Peter Fitzgerald said the council should wait for a report into the administration centre before increasing car spaces.
“Our staff couldn’t come back to this chamber and make a recommendation to improve or increase the number of carparking within the Granville town centre without taking into consideration about the fact that we’re about to consider where the admin building is about to go,’’ he said.
“We couldn’t sit here and make a solid recommendation and say ‘Go and build a carpark in this area to increase the supply, noting that other departments within this council are considering the admin building so it wouldn’t make any sense.’’
The council will also explore four-hour parking and working with Parramatta Council to discuss parking on the opposite side of the station.
IN OTHER NEWS
Developer acquires fugitive’s former unit complex site in record deal
A major construction company has struck a $100m deal to acquire a Parramatta site, on which it is set to build smaller twin towers than the skyscrapers once proposed by fugitive developer Jean Nassif.
Why buyer paid record $900m for shop out west
The buyer who splurged the highest price ever paid for an Aussie retail site has revealed why the Western Sydney property is worth the money.