Bid to clear airport car park

Published on 14 May 2019

Council is looking to further improve parking availability at the airport by expanding its timed parking.

Council regularly receives complaints regarding commercial vehicles using the car park for long-term parking and vehicle storage, limiting other users' ability to access the terminal.

Two-hour and 24-hour parking zones were implemented as an interim measure in July in an effort to clear the congestion, however Council is now looking to roll out timed parking across the whole airport as part of its 2019/20 budget process.

Under the plan, all vehicles will be allowed to park at the airport for free for the first two hours, but those who wish to stay longer will be charged a fee up to a maximum of $10 per day.

Mayor Darriea Turley expected the majority of local users would benefit from the new system, which would operate via a Smart parking system utilising the existing sensors in the airport car park.

"We realise the airport car park has been a source of frustration for some time, and we hope this solution will make it easier to find a park," said Mayor Turley.

"The majority of residents just want fair access to the car park to drop off a loved one or enjoy morning tea at the cafe, and that hasn't always been possible given the number of vehicles that have been parked or stored in the car park for long periods.

"It won't be a money-making exercise for Council, the fees are very small, but hopefully it acts as an incentive to clear the car park and make life easier for locals."

Mayor Turley said Council would also investigate constructing a separate car park for those wishing to purchase a permit to park or store vehicles at the airport for extended periods.

In other proposed changes to fees at the airport, a revision of airport landing fees will make it cheaper for small aircraft to land in the city. Larger aircraft will see a small to moderate increase in landing fees.

Those wishing to view more details around parking and landing fees at the airport are encouraged to view the business papers from this month's Extraordinary Meeting of the Council here.

Anyone wishing to make a submission around the budget can do so here.