PLAYFORD Council’s $8.5 million Windsor Carpark at Elizabeth made less than $1900 in revenue in its first 27 months of opening, well short of the $210,000 per annum it was projected to generate.
A report tabled to council’s Services Committee meeting last night – held after The Bunyip’s print deadline – revealed only 116 vehicles paid to use the carpark in a 25-month span between January 21, 2018 and April 24, 2020, paying $365.50 to do so.
Two permanent parkers with reserved spaces paid a combined $1520 across the same time period.
A further 6235 cars entered and left the carpark within the three-hour free parking window, 3928 of which were Grenville Centre patrons who receive free parking.
Council missed out on $23,000 in revenue by allowing the patrons to park for no cost.
The report stated Playford Council expected to make $210,000 per annum from the carpark, with short-term parking to generate $120,000 based on 100 vehicles per day paying $5 across 240 days of the year.
Long-term car parking was supposed to create $90,000 in revenue, based on 50 permanent parks being leased out.
The council also had plans to install an advertising board on the carpark’s external wall – facing Main North Road – which was expected to raise $100,000 in profit, but the idea has since been shelved.
The report stated the carpark was expected to reach its full earning potential in 2020-21 as investment in the Elizabeth “CBD” increased, but returns so far had been “minimal”.
“Combined with the current status of the staging of the CBD development, car park revenue has been minimal to date,” the report read.
“The full realisation of the car park’s potential is unlikely to be realised until all allotments are fully developed/activated in the Northern CBD.”
The carpark holds space for 360 vehicles and was built to cater for the development of the Playford Medical Hub, Playford Hotel, a government building and the $40 million Playford Arena – all projects either shelved, in construction or stalled indefinitely.
To cut costs on the carpark’s operation, the report suggested cutting security services from $26,280 per year to $1728 and cleaning payments from $44,000 per annum to $4800.
It also outlined a new parking fee structure, with the free parking period reduced to two hours, a new “early bird” fee introduced and a reduction of the maximum day rate to $8 from $15.
In a statement to The Bunyip, Playford Mayor Glenn Docherty defended the carpark, saying it would be “self-funded over time”.
“Investment decisions such as the carpark have the ability to be self-funded over time and are not funded via a rate increase,” he said.
“The investment in the carpark is still projected to support the attraction of government and private sector interest in developing current and future lots in the CBD.”
