Council is being offered the option of adding another floor to the Elizabeth Street car parking building to provide more car parks in the central city.

The Elizabeth Street building is the busier of the council's two parking buildings and according to customer surveys caters mainly for commuter parking.

The Elizabeth Street carpark may get another floor

TCC will consider whether to build another floor on the Elizabeth Street carpark to cater to motorists in the CBD.

Spring Street caters more for short term visitors to the city centre with the first hour free and $1 on Mondays.

The decision, which will add another 110 car parks to the Elizabeth Street building, will take place during the council Ten Year Plan discussions, expected in the next month.

But council will also be considering whether to build another new parking building in the central city, says city transportation manager Martin Parkes.

The Spring Street building doesn't have the option of adding another floor, and with Durham Street facing major redevelopments with the university campus being built over the existing Durham Street carparks and Trustpower eyeing the site across the road as the location for a new headquarters for its 400 staff, central city parking is going to come under more pressure.

'It's going to come to a point definitely in the next five years that we will need more stock,” says Martin.

'Whether that is another floor in Elizabeth Street or another building that's up to council to decide.”

The former TV3 building and sometime hotel development site opposite Baycourt is not a preferred option at this stage, says Martin.

'We are looking at a number of options in that area but no decisions yet, until we get clear guidance from council,” says Martin.

Occupancy rates in both city parking buildings have increased over the last 12-18 months. Elizabeth Street is at 80 – 85 per cent. Eighteen months ago peak occupancy was 35 – 40 per cent.

Spring Street's peak occupancy has increased from 75 per cent 18 months ago to about 80 per cent.

Increased use of the parking buildings reflects an increased street occupancy. Results from the TCC's November 2013 parking survey show Grey Street and Devonport Road are peaking at about 95 per cent occupancy.

'Ideally we want to keep peak occupancy down to 85 per cent occupancy,” says Martin. 'Otherwise drivers end up circling because they can't find a car park. Parking management is a constant balancing act between the price of parking and the availability of car parks.”

The increased occupancy rates align with the reported increase in parking revenue.

The figures show parking revenue for the last financial year is $1.929 million. For the 2012/2013 year it was $1.425 million.

The income also includes the agency fee the council takes for warrant of fitness and registration infringements. More than half of those tickets are also issued in the CBD.