Parking annual plan

How residents want to pay for parking in the city centre is one of the key questions in this year’s consultation on Hastings’ plan for the year ahead.

Every year at this time, Hastings District Council puts its plan for the next 12 months before the public for feedback.

The Annual Plan closely reflects Council’s Long Term 10 year plan but with minor tweaks to cope with things that have come up since that long term plan was put to the public for comment and then set in place.

The Annual Plan also sets out the expected change to the rates for the year, and compares it to the forecast in the Long Term Plan.

This year, one of the big questions is how residents want to pay for parking in the busiest parts of Hastings.

Up until November, parking in those areas was traditionally paid for by parking meter. For almost six months now, that has changed to “free” parking with time limits, to see if it made a difference to the vitality of the central city. Reports show the city’s shops have been very busy – but it is difficult to tell if that was because of the new parking regime or not.

Public and business feedback has been positive and that is why Council is now asking residents if they want to continue with meter-less parking and pay for parking through an extra charge on their rates bill, or go back to putting coins in meters, says Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule.

“It is about choice; the cost of managing parking is the same so it is about whether people prefer to pay for their parking by putting coins in a meter, or through an annual charge on the rates bill,” says Mr Yule.

At the nub of the matter is the need to raise $500,000 to run the parking department which operates right across the Hastings district. That will still be needed to ensure time limits are adhered to (to allow everyone turns at parking in the main streets), and to police the rules around things like mobility and 10 minute parks.

The department costs $1.2 million to run, but the income Council receives for ticketing expired vehicle warrants and registrations offsets that by $700,000.

If “free” parking is preferred, the charge on rates would be $30 a year for homes in the main urban areas, surrounding Heretaunga Plains and towns and villages (Differential Rating Area One) or $15 in the rural area (Differential Rating Area Two). Businesses within Hastings central city and Havelock North will pay $90 a year, the higher rate recognising that they are seen to be greater beneficiaries of the scheme.

Given that Havelock North already runs this type of scheme, the move would add $19 to what businesses in that area already pay, and $7 to residential ratepayers.

Council does note that if meters are reinstated, the cost will be set at $1.20 per hour, up from $1 per hour pre-November.

Without including a parking charge the proposed rate increase in the Annual Plan is sitting at an average 2.5 per cent. With the parking rate, that will go up to 3.5 per cent.

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