Parking meter plan for Oxford Street put on hold following backlash

Plans for parking meters along a struggling shopping strip have been put on hold following a backlash from residents and businesses. Residents, businesses and councillors slam lack of consultation

Traders fear the parking meters will lead to more empty shops along the street

Plans for parking meters along a struggling shopping strip have been put on hold following a backlash from residents and businesses.

City of Sydney’s Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee was expected to approve plans for parking meters on the southern side of Oxford St, Paddington, this morning.

However, the committee decided to put the plans on hold until further consultation had been carried out following strong representations from residents, businesses and councillors.

The proposal was to install meters between Greens Rd and Oatley Rd on the southern side of Oxford St.

Four zones of meters were planned where there is currently two hour free parking and unlimited free parking.

Oxford St is the dividing line between the City of Sydney and Woollahra councils.

Committee chairman Philip Thallis explained the proposal had come from a request from businesses on the northern side (Woollahra Council side) of Oxford St, where parking meters are already in place.

He said they wanted changes to parking restrictions to improve the turnover of customers.

Councillor Christine Forster said there had been a clear lack of consultation. Picture: Toby Zerna

But businesses along the southern side (City of Sydney side) of Oxford St said they had not been consulted and said paid parking would be “another nail in the coffin” for the once thriving strip.

Sue Ritchie, who runs the Beauchamp Hotel in Oxford St, said she only heard of the plans at the weekend.

“It will be another nail in the coffin for Oxford St,” she said. “Nobody wants them.”

Will Mrongovius, president of the Paddington Society, also spoke and questioned the “appalling” timing of the proposal shortly before Christmas.

Both deputy mayor Linda Scott and Cr Christine Forster addressed the committee and said residents and businesses were strongly against the proposal.

“At the very least this needs to be deferred because there has been an issue with the process,” Cr Forster said. “To my knowledge and according to the submissions I have received, no residents or business located on the City of Sydney side of Oxford St were consulted.

“The papers state there are no objections to the proposal, which theoretically at the time of writing may be correct. But that was only due to the lack of consultation.

“Now it is absolutely clear to me and should be clear to City of Sydney members that there are many objections to this proposal from residents and businesses.”

Joseph Gomes, City of Sydney Traffic Manager South, defended the consultation process, stating that the council’s standard procedure was to contact residents and businesses within 50 metres.

Beacheaump Hotel publican Sue Ritchie said it would be another nail in the coffin for the street.Picture by DAMIAN SHAW

“The Woollahra side has had ticketed parking for many years, the customers haven’t gone away, Woollahra council says it works perfectly fine, the businesses are not complaining,” he said.

He added City of Sydney also successfully operate ticket parking in Oxford St, Darlinghurst, King St, Newtown, Redfern St, Redfern and Glebe Point Rd.

He explained to the committee that as Oxford St is an RMS road, the decision was ultimately with them.

Despite previously raising no issues with the plans, an RMS representative, after listening to objections, said he wanted to consult further.

“If we are going to do this we will have to consult much wider,” he told the committee. “I appreciate that is not the city’s normal process but given the level of concern we would generally recommend that in the short term no decision is made … it should go out to a much larger consultation maybe even a full scale engagement with the businesses.”

The committee voted to defer the proposal with RMS vowing to consult further in February.

“It is a good result,” Ms Ritchie said. “It will allow us to inform everybody and for us to object to this proposal properly.”