Tauranga CBD business owners express frustration over closure of two popular car parking areasPosted by MMP News AuthorOn January 15, 2023

There is concern the closure of two popular parking spaces will result in a reduction of foot traffic in Tauranga’s city centre, with one retailer describing it as a “huge disruption” for his “already struggling” business.

These comments come after Tauranga City Council permanently closed the Devonport Rd car park for redevelopment, while the Dive Cres car park has been temporarily shut as part of plans to transform the city centre’s waterfront.

Bill Campbell, who owns Fancy That, a souvenir shop in Tauranga’s CBD, said the removal of the parking space on Devonport Rd would cause “huge disruption” for his business which was already “struggling” because of the lack of customers

“We have known it’s been coming for a while, but removal of the car park is just another stumbling block for the public to be able to come to Tauranga. How do they think we are going to survive without people?”

The council continued to “take car parks away”.

He said planned building work on Devonport Rd, which included the construction of the council’s new office building, would not cause more disruption for businesses on the street as it could not get “any worse” than it already was.

“We have already been disrupted as we are – so it’s not going to make any difference.”

In December, a two-year council trial of free on-street parking…