Parking at Carindale - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Posted on Monday, 5 December, 2011
Q: What changes are happening to parking arrangements at Westfield Carindale?
A: Westfield have announced that during 2012 they plan to discourage long-term parking in their car park by charging a fee to exit after 3 hours. Westfield have stated that the new arrangements at Carindale will be consistent with those already in place at Chermside. The following details have been sourced from Westfield Chermside’s website:
0.0 - 3.0 Hours: FREE
3.0 - 3.5 Hours: $2.00
3.5 - 4.0 Hours: $3.00
4.0 - 4.5 Hours: $4.00
4.5 - 5.0 Hours: $6.00
Max. charge (7+ Hours): $20.00
Additional information: Free entry after 6pm. Free parking for disabled patrons.
Westfield claim that up to 94% of their shoppers stay for less than 3 hours, which means that they will not have to pay for parking. Westfield also believes that 80% of those who stay longer than 3 hours will pay $4 or less.
Q: Why have Westfield announced these changes?
A: Westfield claims that between 400 and 700 car spaces are being taken each day at Carindale by commuters (bus users) and this makes it harder for shoppers to find a car park. Despite the fact that there is a major bus interchange at Carindale, no dedicated commuter parking, such as a park and ride, is available in the local area.
A similar situation exists at Westfield Chermside. Westfield has claimed that “many premium areas of the centre’s car park were more than half full by 8:30am, which is half an hour before the centre opens.” This indicates that many of the best car spaces are being taken by motorists who are not shoppers.
Q: Why can’t the Council or the State Government stop Westfield’s plan?
A: Brisbane City Council opposes Westfield’s plan, however, current planning laws do not give Council the power to stop the plan. The 2000 City Plan, which regulates development in Brisbane, requires shopping centres to provide off-street parking, but does not specify how these car spaces should be managed (i.e. no restrictions on fees or time limits).
Paid parking already operates at a number of smaller shopping centres in Brisbane and many smaller shopping centres have also placed a time limit on parking (eg. 2 hour limit).
There are currently no State Government laws which prevent shopping centres from implementing paid parking. In fact, Premier Anna Bligh encouraged and approved the introduction of paid parking at "The Barracks” shopping centre development in 2007.
Parking charges at "The Barracks" far exceed those proposed by Westfield. The Barracks offer only 2 hours of free parking and then a charge of $7.00 applies between 2-3 hours and $12.00 for 3-4 hours. A charge of $34 applies for all-day parking.
Q: Local Government Minister Paul Lucas has claimed that Council can stop paid parking. Is this true?
A: Mr Lucas and his State colleagues are attempting to use the issue of paid parking as a distraction for voters in the lead-up to the State and Council elections. There is no real evidence to back-up Mr Lucas’ politically-motivated claim.
In short, any attempt to 'stop paid parking' in the way Mr Lucas suggests will expose ratepayers to millions of dollars in compensation claims from shopping centre owners.
Furthermore, proposed changes to the law will only serve to fast-track the introduction of paid parking as shopping centres rush to beat the new laws.
Mr Lucas has suggested the introduction of a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI), however, legal advice supplied to Council by the State Government has warned that:
“A temporary local planning instrument does not operate with retrospective effect (and) would simply delay the circumstances in which proposals by Westfield to impose parking fees are implemented.
“Were it to become known that a temporary local planning instrument was imminent, it would be reasonable to expect that Westfield would try and bring forward the implementation of proposals to impose parking fees,” (source: Legal advice supplied to Council by Mr Lucas on 15 November 2011)
In other words, Mr Lucas' own lawyers are warning that the knee-jerk planning changes he suggested are likely to lead to more shopping centres rushing to introduce paid parking to beat the change.
The legal advice confirms that there are absolutely no guarantees that any planning changes will be able to stop paid parking and instead, could make it much worse.
The only thing Mr Lucas’ suggestion will achieve is a rush of paid parking applications across Brisbane, potentially leaving ratepayers exposed to millions of dollars in costly court battles and compensation claims.
The advice clearly states that planning changes cannot be retrospective, which means that once paid parking is installed; it cannot be removed regardless of any changes to the law by Council.
If Council attempted to do what Mr Lucas is suggesting, it would not stop Westfield’s parking plans for Carindale. Instead, boom gates would be installed at Westfield Carindale within a matter of days and once paid parking is in, there is no way that it can legally be reversed.
The Shopping Centre Council of Australia recently distributed the following newsletter regarding Mr Lucas' claims regarding parking (click link): /Portals/0/111130 SCCA SPECIAL EDITION.pdf.
According to the Shopping Centre Council, "When Mr Lucas was Minister for Health he proudly announced the opening of a new car park at Cairns Base Hospital which means people visiting hospitalised friends and relatives now have to pay for their parking. No free period, incidentally!
Mr Lucas also foreshadowed the introduction of paid car parking at Townsville Hospital. Paid car parking for hospital staff and visitors is apparently fine for government-owned hospitals – as well as at state government cultural facilities – but not for shopping centres.
If Mr Lucas were to announce the removal of car parking charges at all state government owned buildings, he might be in a position to criticise shopping centre owners. As the Courier Mail said this week: 'This is not an area in which governments should be interfering after failing in the first place to provide the parking facilities near such an important transport hub'." (Source: Shop Talk newsletter, 30 November 2011)
Q: Is the Council planning to install parking meters at Carindale?
A: No. The Lord Mayor has stated that this will definitely not occur. Council’s parking meter replacement and enhancement program has been completed.
Q: What is being done to cater for commuters who will be forced-out of the shopping centre car park and onto local streets?
A: The Brisbane City Council firmly believes that a park and ride facility is urgently needed at Carindale. Local councillor, Adrian Schrinner, has been fighting hard for a park and ride since February 2011 (click link) – long before Westfield announced their parking changes.
Under current public transport arrangements, the State Government’s TransLink Transit Authority is responsible for the provision of park and ride facilities across Southeast Queensland.
Despite a petition on this matter being rejected by the State Government earlier this year, Cr Schrinner organised a second petition during November 2011 which attracted very strong community support. More than 1,600 local residents signed the petition in just four weeks (click link).
This petition has now been tabled in State Parliament and Cr Schrinner is awaiting a formal response from the Government.
Q: Why won't the State Government agree to provide a Park and Ride at Carindale?
A: The most obvious site for a park and ride is the vacant Government owned land on the corner of Old Cleveland Road and Creek Road. This site is already sealed and could be cost-effectively converted into a formal TransLink park and ride facility. The State Government has rejected this suggestion on a number of occasions, claiming that it is against their policy to build park and ride facilities within 10 kilometres of the CBD.
The real reason for their reluctance to use this site as a park and ride appears to be that they plan to sell a significant part of the site for high-density development. The State's intentions for this land are clearly outlined in documents associated with the Eastern Busway project. These documents include an artist's impression showing at least two large 10 storey buildings on the site (see photo below).
This is despite the fact that the State Member for Chatsworth has informed local residents that it is not possible to build a multi-level car park on the site because it would jeopardise the proposed Busway and it floods.
