A group of Watton Street landowners is urging Wyndham council to build a multi-storey car park on Comben Drive in a bid to ease central Werribee’s parking woes.
Thirty-five landowners, including Lindsay Ingram, believe the council should dramatically upgrade parking in Werribee’s central business district “sooner rather than later”.
“Comben Drive would be easy for people to access and we think a multi-level car park there would get 500-600 cars off the street,” Mr Ingram said. “We need to act soon to solve the parking problem before it gets worse.”
The group’s request is at odds with the council’s plans to build a multi-level office and car-park development on the corner of Synnot Street and Duncans Road.
The council announced last May that it had set aside $180,000 to seek expressions of interest for the development. The council believes the development, known as the Gateway project, will enhance the entry to Werribee.
Werribee Chamber of Commerce president Tonia Tribe supports the Gateway project, saying it would be a wonderful thing for the town.
But landowners are concerned the council has chosen the wrong site, believing traffic on Synnot Street will make accessing the proposed car park difficult.
Mayor Bob Fairclough said the council was working to improve parking in central Werribee. He said the council had recently added 12 spaces on Comben Drive and 30 all-day spaces on Pyke Street.
“Wyndham City’s long-term vision is to promote Werribee as the capital of Melbourne’s new west and develop the growth of the Werribee city centre in a way that features the wonderful attributes of the Werribee River,” he said.
