Parking at Whangārei Town Basin is under pressure as multiple building efforts happen this month.

The Bach Gallery, Mokaba Café, Steve Haywood Master Jewelers and Grinter Glass will have a partial roof replacement.

The work
has resulted in 16 car parks blocked off, and with parking already under pressure at the popular basin, locals are struggling with the lack of options.

Commercial Property Advisor for Whangārei District Council (WDC), Pete Gregory, said pressure will be reduced as soon as the roof of Mokaba cafe and The Bach is replaced, however, some scaffolding may remain longer.

“There is a block of car parks between the end of The Bach and Dent St that form part of our construction site area that won’t be clear until all work is complete on site. The last scaffolding to come down will be that near the toilets and Grinter Glass.”

Northland-born and bred Noeline Ferrie, said the parking issue in Whangārei is “more than significant”.

As someone who utilises disabled car parks, Ferrie said the parking for the disabled is “absolutely pathetic”.

She said after living in Auckland, the lack of car parks in Whangārei became even more evident.

“I was able to just slide into a car park,” she said, “here it’s not consistent, I think it’s disgusting.”

She believes parking needs to be for everyone.

“I think they need to think of disabled people as well,” she said, “get on with it, get it done for everybody.”

The building act of 2004 states that it is required that disabled road users are provided with car parks that are on an “accessible route”. For every 200 car parks, four accessible parks are required.

Bad weather and asbestos in one of the roof areas have delayed the refurbishment project, however, organisers are aiming to have the job completed from October 8-14.

The roof changes are occurring alongside a bus-stop upgrade at the Town Basin, which will result in a significant decrease in car parks, from 68 to 35.

There will be six accessible car parks provided in the new car park, an increase of two.

Gregory said the goal of the bus stop upgrade is to slow down traffic and make the area safer for pedestrians.

“We are always looking for opportunities to improve a range of aspects of parking for our customers – and sometimes that might not mean an increase in numbers in the immediate vicinity.”

The manager at Riverside Café, Imran Hanif, says parking is “definitely an issue”.

He said a lot of café regulars are seniors, and with a lack of places to park, they are forced to walk to the café, “sometimes from a further distance”.

“Hopefully in the future, it will be something else that is sorted,” he said.

WDC manager of infrastructure programmes, Shelly Wharton, said the compromise on parking is worthwhile.

“When we are working in a limited area, we have to look at the bigger picture and consider a wider range of users with different needs, and do our best to cater to them all.”

“In this case sacrificing some car parks will enable us to cater to a broader range of users by providing more accessible facilities and making the area safer and more efficient for both drivers and pedestrians.”

Alongside the roof replacement, the BACH Gallery and Mokaba are also receiving interior work, with Mokaba due to open in time for the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Customers can expect to see “the old Mokaba in a new form” in October this year, says co-owner of Mokaba, Justin Le Cheminant.

The popular space has been stripped to make way for a new and improved facility. This will include a walk-in chiller, a larger kitchen with more work area, fixing of plumbing and electrical issues, and additional toilets.

“We decided to bite the bullet instead of putting a band-aid over the problems,” he said.

According to Le Cheminant, the refurbishment is well overdue, stating, “the whole place was fit for purpose 20 years ago”.