Wollongong City Council is planning to turn a dirt lot into a paved car park in Thirroul.
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The space, outside the Memorial Park on the Princes Highway, is increasingly used by rail commuters and shoppers.
As the need for parking has become more acute, some drivers have taken to parking in the middle of the lot, which has created difficulties for cars backing out to leave. Council’s director of infrastructure and works Mike Hyde said the council saw a need to turn the space into a formal car park.
‘‘Council has begun planning on this car park design,’’ Mr Hyde said. ‘‘The work will involve working with RailCorp who manage a portion of this land, as well as Roads and Maritime Services who manage Lawrence Hargrave Drive.’’
As part of the planning, Mr Hyde said some drainage issues affecting the site would need to be addressed.
While there are no plans to charge for parking once the car park is finished, Mr Hyde expects there will be a drop in the number of cars able to park there.
‘‘Council is planning for the marked formal spaces and at this stage anticipates there will be a reduction of about 10per cent in the number of spaces available once formalised.’’
At this stage there is no set time for construction to begin, as Mr Hyde said the project was yet to be officially funded.
‘‘Council is currently in the design stage for this project,’’ he said.
‘‘We are hoping that this project will be included in next financial year’s capital works program. This capital works program is to be considered by the council in March and will be on public display during April-May.’’
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