Penrith City Council has chosen Union Road as the preferred location for a future multi-deck car park in Penrith CBD, which could provide more than 700 additional parking spaces.
Following endorsement of the site by the Council at the Ordinary Meeting on 20 April, a program for the design and construction of the decked car park will now be prepared. The detailed design and approval process is expected to take a number of years, with the build of the multi-deck car park following.
In addition, and in line with the Penrith CBD Parking Implementation Plan 2025-2030, paid parking options will also be considered to assist with the ongoing financial viability of the facility and the efficiency of parking across the City.
"The delivery of an additional decked car park for the Penrith CBD has been a long-held aspiration of Council," Penrith Mayor Todd Carney said.
"Union Road is the best location for this future multi-deck car park given it is close to Penrith's commercial core and the number of car spaces that can be achieved based on site layout, constraints, funding available and current planning controls.
"We also need to make sure we further consider all funding options, including the ongoing maintenance, for such a significant piece of infrastructure and so this will be explored as part of next steps. There is still some way to go before we have paid parking options in front of us, including any potential charges."
Multiple sites were considered for the multi-deck car park and Council investigations show that the Union Road site is the most financially feasible. However, with an estimated cost of $97,000 per car space to deliver any decked car park this is a significant undertaking.
The introduction of paid parking would assist with the ongoing management and maintenance of the facility.
"Delivering a new multi-deck car park in the Penrith CBD is required for the City's long-term functionality and growth," Cr Carney said.
"The Penrith CBD requires additional parking supply to reduce pressure from growing demand. Continued reliance on surface-level parking is not suitable.
"However, Council must ensure that any parking solution is delivered in a financially responsible way. Penrith is experiencing population growth, increasing demand on services and infrastructure, rising costs and constrained revenue and so a parking solution must be sustainable."
Council will engage an external project manager to lead the detailed design, planning approval, contract award and construction of the facility.
