Calls for a ‘free after three' parking trial to be made permanent could fall flat with Tauranga City Council, who are eyeing a move back to the previous arrangement and a saving of $3million over 10 years.

Since late last year, and in conjunction with Tauranga Mainstreet, council have been testing the parking move as an incentive to attract more people to the city's central business district.

The council's parking policy could be wound back, meaning drivers having to pay between 9am and 4pm during weekdays. Photo: File.

‘Free after three' relates to on-and-off street parking and comes with reduced all day rates for car parking buildings and off-street car parks.

The early bird rate in parking buildings is reduced to $5 a day, and the all-day charge in off-street parks is also reduced to the same amount.

But ahead of next week's Long Term Plan deliberations, there is the potential for the move to be put reversed, with recommendations to resort back to previous parking fees.

These were weekday on-street parking charges, tariffed between 9am-4pm and 9am-1pm on Saturdays, of $9 per day in the Spring Street building, $7 per day in the Elizabeth Street building, and an all-day charge of $5.50 for off-street parking.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby says this is a decision that will be seriously considered and all councillors have differing views on how to best to attract and retain people in the CBD.

He says it ultimately comes down to 'price sensitivity”, where council must find a balance between attracting people to the CBD and creating revenue moving forward.

Next week, council will begin their three-day Long Term Plan deliberation process, as they consider some 654 submissions and petitions. The deliberations are the next step before the LTP is finalised on June 30.

The first option encompasses the ‘free after three' approach; on-street parking charges between 9am-3pm weekdays and 9am-1pm on Saturdays at $5 per day in off-street parking areas including car park buildings.

The other is the status quo.

Council received 263 submissions on ‘City Centre Parking Pricing' with 121 supporting ‘free after three' becoming permanent, 70 in favour of option B, 71 neutral, and one supporting both options.

Those in favour of ‘free after three' believe there is a need for cheaper or ‘free' parking as it would encourage people and new businesses to the city centre.

Parking charges are a barrier to people coming to the city centre, they add.

Supporters of the status quo feel parking pricing was 'about right” and that reducing parking charges limits opportunities for investment in parking facilities, both public and private.