My 3 Top Initiatives to Revitalise Our CBDs + And what to do about parking?

At the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce and other meet-the-candidate events, the issue of how do you bring back vibrancy and interest to our CBDs and townships is a hot topic! It is not an easy thing to fix, but I have been involved with the hospitality industry for more than 12 years, so I certainly know how important it is.

So, how will the council fund my initiatives? The council has budgets in the Annual and Long Term Plans, so I would use existing revenue lines and just make those budgets go further and actually deliver the impact our community is expecting.

Three Initiatives to Rocket Vibrancy back to our CBDs and Town Centres

Parking - we need to critically at our inner city parking. There are pros (helps stimulate shoping and hospo) and cons (potential impact parking revenue) to offering any period of free parking, but there will be a 'sweet spot', and that could also be a mix of free periods from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and before certain times, like up to 11 am, this may apply only for gold-card holders or for all.

Supply tap and go cards for those who don't have the App, credit cards or are not near a coin-operated parking meter. These prepaid parking cards would be available from various outlets in town and libraries.

But there are other parking issues; at times, you can't find one! So, how do we improve that? I am not sure, but let's start the conversation with our Chamber of Commerce, Landlords and the council. I am sure we can find a workable solution.

Let's implement policies and initiatives to make this happen and save our CBDs and town centres!