Wagga Wagga Gasworks Remediation

I am concerned that the Environmental Assessment does not comprehensively or suitably assess the impacts of the proposal on the availablily of car parking in area.

Firstly, I note that the parking surveys for Table's 13-2 and 13-3 were undertaken, at least in part, prior to significant changes to parking arrangements in the locality. Until late 2010, the car park at the rear of Myer in O'Reilly Street provided unrestricted all day parking and was heavily utilised by Council staff and other workers in the northern Baylis Street area. 2 hour parking was introduced in this car park which has increased the number of vehicles utilsing the car park on the subject site, as well as on street parking. This change definately occured after the surveys for Table 13-3 and possibly after the survey for Table 13-2. Therefore I suspect that the number of vehicles to be impacted upon by this development has likely been underestimated.

Secondly, I am confused as to what the car park titled "Between Tarcutta St and O’Reilly St Carpark" in Table 13-3 is. In Table 13 of the Traffic Impact Assessment Report what appears to be the same car park is titled "Tarcutta Street former gasworks". The former gasworks site is not located between Tarcutta Street and O'Reilly Street, but there is a car park between Tarcutta Street and O'Reilly Street. Increasing the confusion is that Table 13-3 and Table 13 both also refer to the "Playhouse Theatre Carpark". If it is that the carpark in these two tables (ie the carpark with the changing name) is the car park on the former gasworks site, then I don't understand the distinction between it and the playhouse carpark - from my understanding the former gasworks site carpark is the playhouse car park.

Finally, the Environmental Assessment does not provide a satisfactory proposal for alternate parking arrangements during the works. The Wagga Wagga City Council administration building provides only very limited on site parking (approximately 15 spaces) and the gasworks carpark acts as the defacto carpark for this building. The Wagga Beach carpark is unsuitbale for use as a temproary carpark as it is isolated and a considerable distance from the premises serviced by the gasworks carpark. Apart from the inconvinence this presents, it also presents a significant security risk for vehciles and persons working late at night. I suggest that the proponent should either construct a temporary carpark in Tarcutta Street within the reserve south of the Tourist Information Centre, enter into a lease arrangement with Myer to provide all day parking in at least part of the Myer carpark (which has very low occupancy rates) or introduce a permit system for Council Staff (and potentially oth er affected businesses) to allow all day parking in existing on and off street restricted parking areas.