Will Byron Council deliver on its pledge to make parking permits free for locals across the Shire when paid parking comes into force in Brunswick Heads?
The answer to this and other key parking meter questions will be determined at this week’s Council meeting, when the implementation plan for the much-discussed Bruns paid parking scheme comes before councillors.
Endorsed by Council in December last year, the paid parking scheme will see more than a dozen parking meters installed in the centre of Bruns, as well as in the parking zones running parallel to the beach.
Deal sweetener
In order to sweeten the deal for locals, some of whom opposed parking meters, Mayor Michael Lyon’s successful motion from December 14, 2023 included a clause stating that all locals would be entitled to a free parking permit, rather than paying the current $55 annual fee.
Part of the December 14 motion reads that Council will, ‘Update the fees and charges to change the “Shire Resident or Ratepayer Exemption, or Resident Interim Parking Permit” from $55 to $0 at the time that the scheme becomes operational in Brunswick Heads’.
This would effectively exempt them for having to pay for parking in both Brunswick Heads, and in Byron Bay.
However, an implementation report from Council staff coming before this week’s meeting has identified a series of significant issues with the free permit proposal, which they say will ‘have a significant impact on the operation of the current scheme’.
They have recommended that the existing system of paid permits remain in place.
Staff at capacity
Council’s Infrastructure Planning Coordinator, James Flockton, says in the report that making parking permits free for locals will produce a flood of applications, which staff will be unable to handle.
‘Staff are already at capacity processing and administering the existing permit scheme, with only 30 per cent of residents opting to purchase a permit,’ Mr Flockton said.
‘With the removal of the fee, it is assumed that all residents or a majority, would take the opportunity to obtain a permit.
‘This will more than double the system administration needs and therefore require a number of additional staff to cover this increase.’
Mr Flockton also stated that free parking permits would create an incentive for more locals to use their cars to get to the beach, rather than using alternative methods of transport.
This would potentially exacerbate the existing parking shortages in both Brunswick Heads and Byron Bay, increase the risk of system abuse, and significantly reduce the revenue generated by the Shire’s paid parking schemes.
Possible $750k loss
‘Financially the scheme could see a loss of $750,000 per year, plus the need to employ additional staff to administer the additional permit applications may take the total cost to the scheme as high as $1 million.’
Staff have also recommended that councillors increase their proposed hourly rate for the Bruns parking meters from $3 per hour to $4, stating that this is necessary for the scheme’s financial viability.
‘$4 per hour is suitable with current day costs, and is closer to the current scheme in Byron Bay,’ Mr Flockton said. ‘This rate will make it quicker and simpler to bring both schemes in line in 12 month’s time.’
Given that parking meters in Byron Bay currently charge $5 an hour, it suggests that the meters in Bruns could also potentially be increased to $5 an hour within a year of implementation.
At $4 an hour, Council’s projected revenue from the Bruns scheme would be $11,294,191 over five years.
At $3 an hour the projected revenue would be just over $9m.
Free parking for residents as per the original resolution, which covered all residents in the Shire, was carried over in today’s resolution. However, the issue of paid parking will come back to Council (AGAIN) because the resolution wants more information from the BHPA and businesses.
A $750k loss?
Council deflecting eyes and blame away from their own incompetence and spending of rate payers money supposedly for the benefit of rate payers.
This shows how out of touch they are with local needs and obviously calculators.
This really annoys me. I voted for Michael Lyon purely because of his promise of free parking for Shire residents. The other candidates were making promises they couldn’t keep without some huge luck in dealings with other levels of government.
Make it $10 an hour for tourists and free for locals and workers. Surely the finances will at least break even with that.
Why should we vote for any of these candidates. They don’t deliver what they promise and even the supposed Green/progressive councillors are too weak to oppose really obvious conservation disasters (read Wallum).
Not much money in local government so it must be all status and ego – it certainly ain’t integrity and backbone.
Absolutely disgraceful idea in a town as small as Brunswick Heads! And to refuse free permits for locals?? Get a grip Council staff…… Locals should have free parking permits for the whole Shire. Not only would it incentivise more of us to go to Byron (I rarely go there due to the cost of parking), but it would ensure year round local support for local businesses. Paid parking is detrimental to local business in a town as small as Brunswick Heads, and it could also mean those on low incomes (and the elderly especially) would come into town less, possibly increasing social isolation.
Well said! I couldn’t agree with you more. Absolutely ridiculous to introduce parking in Bruns.
Free handouts for immigrants cause shortages. If you weren’t born and raised there, you’re not local.
a) “Financially the scheme could see a loss of $750,000 per year” – Paid parking regulations state paid parking must be about getting a turnover of cars and must not be focused on income generation.
b) “Financially the scheme could see a loss of $750,000 per year” – that “loss” is from residents pockets who already paid in our rates to build and maintain the car parks and roads
c) back in the 2004 – 2008 Council term, prior to changing the parking from free for residents to residents paying, the provision of the free resident sticker costed Council only $35,000, giving a small token cost back to the residents, while Council staff go on junkets overseas to ‘assess’ building a methane burning electricity plant, and cut the funding for all Australia day events
I suppose if there was train running through Byron Mullum and a connecting bus service there be no need for paid parking anywhere in the shire plus off course collecting stamp duty from the state government from buying and selling houses would fill council coffers and no need for paid parking or anything else that gouges rate payers .