Traders in a jam

PARKING in Berwick Village has again provided a major obstacle to development of commercial services.
The popular Moods Restaurant at the corner of Wheeler and Wilson Streets wants to increase its lunchtime seating allowance from 40 to 70, but faces a council refusal because of insufficient parking.
The matter is listed for discussion at the Tuesday, 22 August council meeting with an officer recommendation that the council refuse a request to increase the lunchtime seating capacity.
The recommendation, however, does allow for the restaurant to be open from 8am, a change from the 10am start.
Berwick Village Chamber of Commerce president Michael Hall said this was just one of the problems because other businesses were impacted in the same way.
He said he could see that the earlier start for the restaurant would not be a problem, but it would have trouble finding enough car spaces during the middle of the day.
“This worries me because we are restricting business when there is a demonstrated need.
“This discourages people from investing in the commercial sector of the village.
“All we are saying with this is bad luck,” Mr Hall said.
Mr Hall said it was the responsibility of the council to provide enough car parking.
“We should be catering for this type of development, not restricting the business.
“If council officers went down into the village during business hours they would easily see what is needed.
Mr Hall said he would be meeting with the council next week to discuss its new draft plan for parking.
“I hope the strategy caters for the demonstrated need,” he said.
Berwick Village has traditionally had a restrictive boundary for the commercial hub that has kept parking within a confined area.
This is generally accepted by all sections of the community.
The restaurant has a permit to open from 10am to midnight from Monday to Friday and 7am to midnight on weekends and public holidays.
A report before the council said the demand for parking on Fridays from 11am to 2.30pm exceeded 90 per cent.
“On the northside, parking from noon to 4.30pm exceeded 85 per cent.”
The report showed that parking overall during weekdays was nearly 93 per cent.
“It is commonly assumed that parking is at capacity when demand reaches 80 to 90 per cent of supply due to difficulties motorists experience in finding available spaces and congestion while they circulate,” the report said.
Edrington Ward councillor Brian Hetherton said it would be nearly impossible to grant extra parking spaces because they were not available.
“We have to consider those already needing to park in the village.
“We have to consider that people know what the parking situation is before the open their business,” he said.