Some Rotorua car parks to change from all-day to time capped

Fifteen car parks outside the Blue Baths will be changed from all-day free parking to P180 free parking.

More changes are coming for inner city parking as time restrictions are placed on a further 28 car parks.

Rotorua Lakes Council's operations group manager Henry Weston confirmed 15 car parks outside the Blue Baths and 13 car parks outside Polynesian Spa will be changed from all-day free parking to P180 free parking.

"The roll-out of the new parking system has contributed to a recent increase in people parking all day in the Government Gardens and outside Polynesian Spa.

"Council has received feedback that this is putting pressure on businesses in these areas whose customers are now struggling to find a short-term park in what is one of Rotorua's prime tourist destinations."

Weston said the council was working with businesses to find suitable short and long-term solutions and had made the decision to implement three-hour capped parking as a short-term solution.

"This is consistent with other adjustments being made within the CBD. These changes should be implemented within the next week and a half," he said on Wednesday. The changes come on the back of the roll-out of new parking machines in the inner city.

The phasing in of Rotorua's new parking machines began in November last year and aimed to improve inner-city parking in Rotorua.

Blue Baths general manager Natasha Hall said they welcomed the upcoming changes.

She said initial changes affecting all-day parking elsewhere, had forced the parking outside the business to fill up.

"We tell our customers we have parking right outside and at the moment we don't.

"Some swimmers can't get car parks so it's definitely made a difference to business."

Hall said the changes earlier in the year had made a big impact as all of the car parks outside the Blue Baths filled up with people parking all day.

Weston's statement said free all-day parking would remain on the outskirts of the city.

"We acknowledge that some CBD workers have needed to change their parking habits following the rollout of the new parking system," the written statement said.

"We are currently considering a number of options to ensure that adequate provision for CBD worker parking is maintained to help alleviate these pressures."