Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
A proposed 27-townhouse development in Jolimont could add pressure to already heavily used street parking around the Matthews’ Netball Centre.
Matthews’ Netball Centre, in the Wembley Sports Park, opened in 1960 and has 46 hard courts and three practice thirds. It also has an administration building with a function hall that has a capacity of 125 people.
The development is proposed for vacant land at the corner of Allison Drive and Salvado Road and would comprise 27 three-storey townhouses with 26 three-bedroom homes and a two-bedroom home.
Seven of the townhouses are proposed as accessible “silver living” homes, with internal lifts providing access across all three storeys.
Although each townhouse is planned to have a double garage, there are no dedicated visitor parking spaces.
A parking assessment as part of the development application, which is open for community consultation until October 23, found the project is expected to generate demand for about six to seven vehicles.
The parking assessment said the results “demonstrate that activity at the Matthews’ Netball Centre has a substantial influence on parking demand within the study area”.
The assessment found surrounding streets could accommodate the demand, but parking was already close to capacity when netball season was under way at the nearby Matthews’ Netball Centre.
According to the parking survey, on Saturday, August 22, the busiest period was at 4pm, when 86 of 93 surveyed spaces were occupied. Friday’s peak showed similar numbers.
The assessment said the parking demand was “substantially” higher during netball activity, with between 52 and 58 additional vehicles recorded compared with corresponding non-netball periods.
At 4.30pm on a “non-netball” Wednesday, just 27 of the 93 spaces were occupied, which left 66 spaces vacant. On a non-netball Sunday, at 4pm, 34 spaces were occupied, compared to the 86 during the Saturday netball peak.
It also recorded vehicles associated with netball participants parking in areas subject to “no parking” seasonal restrictions, with some vehicles being seen without the required residential parking permit.
Despite the high occupancy numbers, the report concluded the streets around the proposed development had enough capacity to accommodate townhouse visitors.
The assessment found seven to eight parking spaces were vacant during its busiest periods, which was believed enough to accommodate the development’s visitor demand of six to seven.
The assessment also said peak netball parking period would not necessarily coincide with peak residential visitor parking, with parking demand falling sharply after the Friday netball peak.
By 5.30pm on the Friday that was surveyed, 34 spaces were vacant, increasing to 36 at 6.30pm.
The assessment came after the Town of Cambridge wanted more information to justify the lack of dedicated parking bays — including either providing seven on-site visitor spaces or evidence that sufficient on-street parking was available.
Comments on the application can be made online through the town’s website.
