Chamber calls for parking action

By Jim Mynard
PROPRIETOR of Wine Justice, in High Street, Berwick, Sandra Farlie said car parking spaces were more available in the south side car park than on the north side of the Berwick shopping precinct.
Ms Farlie was responding to comment during the Berwick Chamber of Commerce December meeting debate on car parking availability in the centre.
Chamber president Michael Hall said the popularity of restaurants in Berwick was drawing heavily on parking places and again raised the issue of decked parking.
He said there was a need for the council to conduct a proper review on the parking situation rather than pull out and modify old reports and parking schemes.
He said the chamber needed to provide strong direction on an overall parking plan for the business sector because the present council parking policy was obsolete.
“I recall former Casey mayor Neil Lucas saying the chamber needed to act on this.
“If we don’t we will be choked out of business,” he said.
Ms Farlie said she could mostly find a car park space on the south side but chamber executive assistant Lisa Myers said there were problems during the lunch period and school peaks, even on the south side.
Mr Hall said the slope of the north side car park provided an ideal situation for undercutting to build decked car parking that would allow links with shops and restaurants.
“This would be an expensive project and if it was left to the council it won’t happen.
“We need to go to private enterprise on this and the chamber must work diligently toward that,” he said.