Petersham car park

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At the March 2009 Council meeting a report came to Council regarding the possible purchase of the Beynon & Hayward building on Livingstone Road to expand the Council car park at Petersham.

The report contained two key facts and recommended that council not purchase the property to expand the car park.  Firstly that the current 20 space car park is not fully utilised.  Secondly, that a total cost of $1.3 million (including interest repayments) or $83,000 per parking spot was considered expensive.

View the report.

Building the car park would mean demolishing the Beynon & Hayward building.  This building is in a draft conservation area and has been identified by Council consultants as a significant and unusual building that should be retained.

To most people’s surprise Labor voted against the report’s recommendation and with the three independent councillors to push ahead with car park.  The Greens voted against it.

One of Marrickville Council’s key goals when it comes to transport is to reduce car use and traffic congestion and encourage public transport, cycling and walking.  Expanding a car park seems to be against Marrickville Council’s stated strategic goals. $1.3 million dollars could build a lot of bicycle infrastructure and make our streets more pedestrian friendly.

Labor’s election platform stated it would work for:

“local planning decisions that encourage public transport use, car share schemes, more cycling, walking and a reduction in car use where possible”.

I’m not sure how that policy statement equates with Labor’s vote to expand a car park that is not fully utilised in a time of great financial constraint on Council’s budget.

James Gould - Mayor of Marrickville 1897, 1898 & 1905

According to an answer to a Question on Notice, Marrickville Council has never conducted a heritage assessment of this building.  This is despite the building being over one hundred years old and being built by a former mayor of Marrickville, James Gould.  The Greens moved a motion on Council.  Read more about this history here.