Tauranga City Council wants to introduce three-hour parking limit in CBD

Councillor Terry Molloy has pushed the council to intervene in the issue of CBD parking on behalf of struggling retaillers. File photo

Tauranga's council wants to limit parking in the centre city's core retail area to three-hour stints in an effort to increase turnover and make it more shopper-friendly.

In their last public meeting of the year yesterday, councillors turned down staff advice to increase parking turnover in the CBD by upping parking prices - a method backed by international research.

The councillors said while more expensive parking might discourage city workers from parking in the CBD all day, it could also work against the council's goal of encouraging shoppers back.

They opted to keep the parking pricing as is - $2 an hour between 9am and 3pm - and go out for consultation on adding the time limit.

In an effort to speed up the process, some councillors - including Terry Molloy, who has led the issue on behalf of CBD retailers he says are "hurting" as customers choose to shop elsewhere due to the city's lack of parks - wanted to put the change through without more consultation.

Tauranga Mainstreet chairman Brian Berry, who supported the time limit move, said the council had done enough consulting with retailers and should just get on with it.

In the end, however, councillors reluctantly bowed to advice that said not consulting with parkers could leave the council open to legal action under the Local Government Act.

Also approved:

- Investigate incentives for vehicles with three or more passengers, such as free or cheaper parking
- Look into freeing up space in Dive Crescent for parking