Business. Scoop » Paid Parking Pushes Hairdresser Off Hastings’ Main Street
Article – Linda Hall – Local Democracy ReporterOn July 1, the cost to park for an hour in the CBD goes from $2. 60 to $2. 70, and off-street parking will go from $2. 10 to $2. 20. July 1, 2026Hawkes BayA Hastings. . .
Article – Linda Hall – Local Democracy ReporterOn July 1, the cost to park for an hour in the CBD goes from $2. 60 to $2. 70, and off-street parking will go from $2. 10 to $2. 20. July 1, 2026Hawkes BayA Hastings beauty and hair salon owner is moving her business off the city’s main street and says it’s because parking fines and limits are killing her custom. Urban Retreat Hastings owner Cheryl Moore says she will be packing up her business on Heretaunga St West and moving a few hundred metres to premises on Eastbourne St West, the old Devine Cafe buildng, which has free parking for her clients. On July 1, the cost to park for an hour in the CBD goes from $2. 60 to $2. 70, and off-street parking will go from $2. 10 to $2. 20. Moore said she had been on Heretaunga St West in the CBD for 12 years. “During that time, I’ve watched the town steadily decline,” she said. “The CBD continues to suffer setback after setback. ”Moore says the hourly rate for parking was not a big problem, but the time limit and fine for breaching it was “keeping people away from town”. She said an hour was not long enough to have a leisurely look around the shops and maybe a coffee and cake. “It’s certainly not long enough to have a colour and cut, for instance. ”She said clients, especially the elderly on a fixed income, were always worrying about being fined and quite often “me or one of the staff will be running out to put more money in the meter”. Moore said council needed to stop “charging people to come to town” and it needed to “give the CBD a break”. They aim to be in their new premises by Christmas. A Hastings District Council spokesperson said in the busiest areas of the district, parking was subject to time limits and parking fees, with costs based on how close the parking was to the shopping area. “The revenue from parking infringement fees is reinvested into the city and goes toward improving public services such as maintaining parking infrastructure, enhancing city transportation options, and supporting local development projects. ”They said some examples were changes to bus stop locations, electric vehicle charging station spaces and pedestrian laneways. The spokesperson said ongoing investment in street upgrades, infrastructure and events was helping create a more vibrant city centre to help encourage people to work, shop and socialise there. The spokesperson said parking officers patrol parking meters, time zones and other traffic violations to ensure safety and parking turnover, and to make it fair for all users. They said parking limits were designed to keep parking spaces available so shoppers could find a park and retail and hospitality businesses had more customers. “Parking time limits and fees also prevent people parking in one spot all day. ”At its June meeting, the council received a report on a petition for free parking for residents over 65 in Hastings CBD. The petition was first presented to the council in November 2024 by Grey Power. However, the council deferred its decision so officers could bring more information to a later meeting. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Content Sourced fromscoop. co. nzOriginal url