North Hobart’s parking solution has hit a planning red tape issue and will be delayed

A solution to the parking problem at North Hobart has stalled with a lengthy red tape delay expected.

THE solution to the parking woes in North Hobart has stalled over planning scheme red tape issues and may be delayed by up to a year.

Last December, a solution to North Hobart’s parking crunch appeared to have been found with the Hobart City Council provisionally agreeing to create a new carpark in the popular restaurant precinct at Lefroy St.

The agreement between the council and the owner of a block of land at 321-325 Elizabeth St, behind Kebab Rehab, was to provide an extra 39 parking spaces.

It was hoped the car park could open by mid year but that now seems unlikely as it may require a change of use request to be approved and sent to the Tasmanian Planning Commission.

This could take up to a year.

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North Hobart Traders Association president John Kelly said it was very deflating.

“It means a long delay,” he said.

A council spokesman confirmed there was some issues within the planning scheme but said the council was committed to working with developer to find a solution.

Meanwhile, about 20 North Hobart traders, council staff and Uber represantatives attended a meeting in North Hobart on Thursday to discuss a range of issues.

Parking issues have been rife along the popular Elizabeth St eating strip, with a lack of car spaces being exacerbated by Uber Eats drivers flouting the rules.

Mr Kelly said the meeting, convened by the council, did not provide any solutions to the Uber Eats issues plaguing the area.

“The biggest thing that was highlighted is that the council is acting as an agent for Uber as the council is fielding all the complaints,” Mr Kelly said.

“It should be Uber.”

MORE ON NOHO’S UBER EATS WOES:

UBER EATS UP RESTAURANT STRIP’S PARKING SPACES

PARKING ZONE TO EASE UBER EATS TENSIONS

TRADERS AT WAR WITH UBER EATS DRIVERS

An Uber spokeswoman said it wanted to partner with Hobart to help people move around safely and reliably.

“We’ve been working proactively with the council to provide pick-up information to delivery-partners, including details of the dedicated zone allocated by council,” she said.

“It was great to meet with locals and council representatives, and we look forward to continuing to work together with the council on solutions that benefit the community.”

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