Westfield Southland parking: shoppers will have to pay from mid-October

SHOPPERS have vented their anger over plans for paid parking at Westfield Southland from mid October, saying the “ugly” car park isn’t worth the money.

Barista Adam Clayton says the move to charge staff for parking is wrong. Picture: David Smith

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SHOPPERS have vented their anger over plans for paid parking at Westfield Southland from mid October.

A paid, ticketless system will be introduced to prevent city commuters using the carpark when Southland station opens in November.

Westfield has revealed shoppers will get the first three hours free, but will then be slugged between $3 and $18, depending on how long they stay.

But there are concerns among staff at the centre that coming to work will cost them money, and anger among shoppers who say the “ugly” car park isn’t worth paying for.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Will paid parking put you off going to Southland? Tell us below.

Southland staff will have to pay $5 a day and must park in a designated area.

Posting on the Herald Sun Facebook page, Michelle Casey wrote, “I feel sorry for the staff. If you work 5 days that $5 a day = $25 a week in parking.

“$100 a month. Retail wages are some of the lowest paid and that’s a fair wack for a lot of people just to have a job.”

Michelle Snowdon Ahmed wrote, “Of all the shopping centres I’ve been to, this has the most horrendous, disorganised, old, aesthetically unpleasing carpark ever!!! To have to pay for that is absurd!!!”

Michael Womersley added: “It’s 3 hours free, 4 if you go to a movie! Apart from the staff issue who can stand being at southland for that long anyway?”

The system will be similar to the one already in place at Eastland. Picture: Steve Tanner

Cameron Whitfield wrote, “If we all went to Chadstone for just one week I rekon we could change their decision.”

Part-time barista Adam Clayton slammed the new system as “ridiculous”, and pleaded with centre management to reconsider the fee.

“Give us a free sparking space or give us a pass and let us go through without having to pay,” Mr Clayton said.

“Or, at least give businesses some allowances, which they can pass onto the staff for the parking.”

Mr Clayton said public transport wasn’t an option for him as the timetables didn’t match his shifts schedule.

He said some staff at the shopping centre would start looking elsewhere for work.

“I have a colleague who has to drive from the west side to Southland for work,” he said.

“On top of petrol costs, I don’t think he would be expecting to pay for parking as well.”

In May Leader revealed Southland looked set to introduce paid parking and more than two thirds of shoppers in a poll said that would force them to take their business elsewhere.

The new parking system will begin on October 16 and Westfield said the first three hours would still be free; cinemagoers will get four hours’ free parking and those with a disabled parking permit won’t pay at all.

Westfield said it was implementing “controlled parking” to ensure parking spaces were available for customers and staff and to “prevent anticipated pressure on the carpark due to the opening of the new train station”.