A new 180-space carpark will open in Werribee’s CBD in coming months as Wyndham council plans to shut down two existing carparks to create multi-storey developments.
The “west end car park” will be spread across the old Werribee Toyota site at Watton and Synnot streets, behind the former Bridge Hotel. It will have two access points on Synnot Street.
Wyndham economy director Kate Roffey said the old Toyota building would be demolished in coming weeks, with construction to begin in October. Ms Roffey said the carpark was likely to open in November or December.
The “west end carpark” will compensate for the 136 spaces lost when the smaller Comben Drive and Synnot Street carparks are closed and redeveloped into high-rise complexes with multi-level carparks, residential apartments and office and retail premises in a bid to rejuvenate the heart of Werribee.
The two sites are among four council-owned “catalyst” sites across Werribee’s CBD that will be redeveloped in a $250 million public-private partnership between Wyndham council, the Burbank Group and Pelligra.
“Council bought this section of land to use as interim carparking so that we make sure the public don’t lose carparking while the catalyst sites are being built,” Ms Roffey said. “As those sites go up, and they’ll go up in a staggered sequence, we’ve got enough capacity to cope with [the loss of those] car parking spaces.
“The sequencing of the build at the moment means we’ll have more parking at all times available in the CBD area.”
Ms Roffey said the carparks would be subject to parking time limits, with those limits to be decided at a future council meeting.
Ms Roffey said paid parking would also be an issue for councillors to determine at a future meeting.
But Wyndham mayor Henry Barlow said that while there had been no formal discussion about paid parking, it was unlikely to be implemented.
“If you go to Warrnambool, the whole of the CBD there has parking meters,” he said.
“If you go to Traralgon CBD, there’s parking meters. Come to Wyndham, we don’t have them – and that’s always been the policy.”
The “west end carpark” announcement comes the same week that plans were lodged for the $25 million redevelopment of the carpark at 3 Comben Drive.
The planning application includes construction of a 10-storey mixed-use building with ground-level shops and residential apartments.
