Parking in Newtown
Newtown is a busy inner-city suburb and parking in the area is already under pressure.
Many people travel from elsewhere to work or study at the various hospitals, health services and tertiary institutions or park in the area as part of their commute to the central city. We’re working closely with Wellington Regional Hospital, one of the biggest employers in the city, and Greater Wellington Regional Council to improve bus services and find long-term solutions for staff and visitor parking.
Many properties have no garages or off-street parking, so some residents with cars have no option but to park on the street.
There are currently few parking restrictions in Newtown or Berhampore – these are limited to time-restricted parking in the main shopping areas and small areas of resident-only parking in some streets near Wellington Hospital.
As some streets are changed to prioritise public transport and encourage more people to bike, scoot or walk, and these neighbourhoods grow, with more intensive housing and more people living in the area, there will be a lot less on-street parking and changes to where people can park and for how long.
A plan to manage parking
As part of setting our city up for the future, the Council’s Parking Policy 2020 sets out a new approach for managing parking as the city grows and changes.
We’re updating the systems and technology we use to manage the city’s parking. In the future there will be less space for on-street parking in some places and changes to where people can park and for how long. Different types of parking can be prioritised in different parts of the city, so parking plans will be developed for areas like Newtown where the street space is changing and are or will be under pressure from intensive housing and transport changes.
Proposed improvements to bus and bike routes would significantly reduce parking on Riddiford Street, Rintoul Street, Luxford Street and Adelaide Road to Dee Street. This would increase demand for parking on other streets in the area or in neighbouring suburbs, and people would most likely have to park further from their destinations.
We’re developing a draft plan for how we manage the remaining on-street parking in the wider Newtown and Berhampore area.
If approved, we expect the parking changes would take several months to complete, with new street markings and signs.
What could change under the plan
It's likely there would be more short-stay parking so shoppers and visitors to the area have greater certainty of finding a park.
Parking for commuters would be reduced so eligible residents with a parking permit would be more likely to find a carpark near their house. It’s likely that fewer residents parking permits will be issued as they are already oversubscribed.
How to be involved
We’re working with technical experts and meeting with key stakeholders and businesses in this area to help inform the proposed changes.
As part of helping us understand the local context, we are keen to learn about how you and your whānau use and experience this area. Your feedback will help us to get the designs right and evaluate the changes. We’ll also be gathering data about numbers of people on bikes, scooters and buses, and monitoring the parking situation.
Stay in touch and get involved
We're keen to involve the community as we go, so we will be sending updates when there are opportunities to get involved or have your say.
To stay in touch with project progress, sign up to the mailing list.
Got questions about this project? Email the team: newtownberhampore@wcc.govt.nz