Tauranga CBD to lose 147 Strand waterfront car parks for green space, businesses ‘fuming’Posted by MMP News AuthorOn October 25, 2023

Hospitality businesses in Tauranga’s CBD are “fuming” as 147 waterfront car parks are set to be turned into a green space.

A bar owner says closing the parking area just before summer will be “the worst thing” for businesses, and a real estate leader says the change will be the “death nail” for the “dying” CBD and his business might move.

Tauranga City Council says The Strand waterfront car park is closing on Monday for the area to be transformed into a green reserve and playground. It is expected to be under construction until mid-2024.

The council says redeveloping this “prime waterfront location” is important for Tauranga CBD’s revitalisation and will be a “drawcard” for locals and visitors.

It says new parks have been added nearby and the number of spots in the city centre will “will largely remain the same” once work on the Spring St parking building ends.

In under a week, however, more than 1000 people have signed an online petition expressing “concern and opposition” to the closure of “one of the city centre’s most vital car parking spaces”.

It was started by Mainstreet Tauranga chairwoman and Miss Gee’s Bar and Eatery owner Ashleigh Gee on Friday.