Free inner-city parking extended for winter afternoons

It will soon be free to park in Nelson’s city centre from 3pm during this year’s winter season.

Nelson City Council made the decision on Thursday after Uniquely Nelson suggested the measure to help encourage residents into the city during the slower, colder months of the year.

“We’re at the bottom of the bell-curve,” said Uniquely Nelson manager Simon Duffy. “Winter is always slow, but this winter – interest rates, food, power, all the costs – things have tightened up.”

The idea was proposed during a June meeting of the Inner-City Forum – a council-led group born from a desire of central city businesses to have greater communication and engagement with council on inner-city matters.

The measure is temporary and will start on 1 July and run through to 31 October, but will run alongside several other efforts to encourage shoppers to visit the CBD, such as a new marketing campaign launching in July.

But not all councillors were convinced that extending free parking was the right method to encourage spending.

This concern was reinforced by senior adviser Stephen Rainbow acknowledging in his report on the topic that no detailed analysis had been done to determine if the change would provide a positive stimulus for businesses.

Councillor Rachel Sanson described council’s receptiveness to Uniquely Nelson’s suggestion as “admirable” but wonders if instead of parking, it was the high cost of living and a “cataclysmic” shift to online shopping caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that meant fewer people were spending money in the CBD.

Councillor Mel Courtney also said that extending free parking was “not the answer” and was contrary to council’s objectives to encourage a transport mode shift away from cars.

However, Rainbow reiterated that the suggestion was made to council by Uniquely Nelson – which represents central city businesses – and that by implementing the measure, it would send a “strong signal” to the business sector that council was listening to its concerns.

He added that a detailed analysis of the impacts of the change would have slowed down the process at a time when the inner-city needed immediate assistance.

In a further show of support for businesses in the CBD, deputy mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens proposed an amendment to the parking measure to also see the creation of a City Centre Winter Activation Fund of $20,000 to further support events and projects that attract people to the city centre during the season.

“We need to be very active in our role of support and also of inspiration and direct activation.”

These funds will work alongside pre-planned events, such as Te Ramaroa – the Nelson Light Festival, to stimulate the inner city.

Elected members enthusiastically approved the Activation Fund, and though the free parking extension proved more contentious with several councillors voting against it, it was also approved.

During the debate on the proposals, councillor Pete Rainey said that the council was too often reactionary to the economic challenges felt by central city businesses.

“I’ve heard this same issue, and it’s a legitimate issue, of downturn in winter months, come across this table so many times. We need to do something about this that’s more than knee-jerk.”

He suggested an amendment that council consider developing a City Centre Retail Strategy which was also well-received and approved by elected members.

This would give council a codified approach to assisting businesses during the winter slowdown rather than finding itself in a similar situation in future years trying to urgently approve measures to help already-struggling businesses.