A multi-storey carpark at Yarraville railway station could be built to help solve both parking and safety concerns under a plan put forward by Maribyrnong mayor Nam Quach.
Cr Quach raised the proposal at last night’s council meeting and called for a report on the viability of the plan.
He said the current carpark space at the Yarraville goods yard, behind the Sun Theatre, presented an opportunity to build a multi-level park to relieve existing parking pressures and encouraging a shift to public transport.
Cr Quach told Star Weekly the plan for the VicTrack-owned land would have the bonus of providing a pedestrian overpass that would cut the risk posed by the congested Anderson Street level crossing.
“Multiple stakeholders and the community have been thinking about this idea for a long time,” he said.
“Many people have asked for multi-level parking on the goods yard site.
“At the same time, Metro has been looking into more parking spaces at stations.”
A leaked five-year Metro plan from 2013 revealed the operator wants to build multi-storey carparks at some of Melbourne’s busiest railway stations, potentially charging commuters for parking.
The RACV has backed the concept, suggesting the state government and councils need to work together to increase carparking around key stations.
Cr Quach conceded a number of issues remain to be explored, including traffic and heritage concerns.
“There are some risks that need to be looked into, such as the heritage aspect and the open-space aspect,” he said.
His motion called for a report on the feasibility of the multi-level carpark and an elevated pedestrian overpass as well as options for other uses for the site.
Cr Quach said it was too early to discuss how the multimillion-dollar project would be funded but pointed to a $20 million state government commitment for new parking spaces at Melbourne railway stations using existing government land.
A spokesman for Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the government was auditing all land holdings along metropolitan train lines to determine which could receive extra parking.
“The commuter parking funding pool is key to adding much-needed parking spaces at stations across Melbourne and making it easier for Victorians to commute.
“The first step of this commitment is to complete an audit of all land holdings along metropolitan railway lines.”
