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A parking review underway in Ōrewa Town Centre has had considerable pushback from local residents, with many taking to Facebook community group pages to express their displeasure about the potential introduction of paid parking in the area.
So why is Auckland Transport (AT) investigating this option? Currently Ōrewa Town Centre has about 600 public parking spaces: 408 with a two-hour limit and 140 with no limit at all.
A February 2024 AT survey found that overall occupancy was about 81 percent, peaking at 87 per cent for the P120 parks. AT says this makes it essentially full, especially as the survey found that staff working in the town centre move their cars every two hours, making it harder for visitors to find a spot.
AT’s reasoning is that introducing paid parking will encourage turnover, creating more available carparks for shoppers throughout the day.
They have proposed two options with common features:
$1 per hour, 8am to 6pm, seven days a week, paid through the AT Park app so you’re only charged for the time you actually use.
The first 10 minutes are free – a quick pie, coffee or pharmacy run costs nothing.
16 spaces on Moana Avenue (near Centreway Road) would lose their time limits entirely – free, all-day parking where none currently exists, which would help with the all-day staff parking issue.
14 spaces in the McDonald’s carpark off Florence Avenue would join the town centre zone.
Under Option A, 75 paid car parks are spread out across the busiest roads, so most streets in the town centre will have some paid parking.
Under Option B, 58 car spaces are clustered around Ōrewa Square. Fewer spaces are paid and free parking is available in other streets.
Other issues to note are that AT proposed in its initial parking review that parking could be charged on a demand basis, with process adjusted up or down to maintain an average of 85 percent occupancy, however it’s unclear if this will be actioned. Also payment requiring the use of the AT smartphone app, can be limiting for older users.
AT also says charging is required seven days a week as the town centre is busy on weekends.
Although some opponents may argue that paid parking will push shoppers to other areas such as Silverdale, AT noted the lack of parking also discourages shoppers from visiting the Ōrewa Town Centre.
Consultation is open until July 23 at haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/orewa-parking-proposal, or by email to ATEngagement@at.govt.nz. Feedback goes to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board before a final decision is made. The survey asks which option you prefer – but the comment fields are the place to say if your answer is “neither.”
