An Ōpōtiki shop owner says the removal of six parking spaces on the town’s main shopping street has resulted in people parking on the footpath instead.

The car parks were removed two years ago as part of Ōpōtiki District Council’s town centre revitalisation project.

To create a safer, more accessible, aesthetic and pedestrian-friendly town centre, the Church St improvements included a raised hump with a paving stone surface to slow traffic.

Ten large boulders have been placed where the parking spaces were to act as bollards; however, they have not prevented people from parking outside the stores.

Ōpōtiki Four Square owner Lance Paltridge said since the removal of the parking spaces he had seen a huge increase in illegal parking on the footpath.

He said businesses that were already struggling were suffering further from there being fewer parking spaces nearby.

“I have spoken with local council, and was told, ‘there is plenty of parking behind the shops on Moody Place’. I see people parking daily on the footpath. Even the council [contractors] do when cleaning the public toilets because there is no parking available.”

He claimed he had been told by the council that the cleaners were allowed to park on the footpath.

Cars frequently park on the footpath on Ōpōtiki's main shopping street, rather than the underused car park behind the shops. Photo / LDR

Paltridge said there were CCTV cameras in the Moody Place carpark, almost directly behind his shop and connected by an alley, so he thought it was unlikely to be a security issue.

He said it was about convenience for shoppers, especially in bad weather.

“If it’s raining, who wants to walk from the carpark?”

Even in fine weather, shoppers preferred to park in front of shops.

“If there’s no parking by one store they will drive to the next one.”

The council recently moved two wooden bollards down the alley to the edge of the road to stop people parking on the footpath outside his store.

“They just park on the footpath on the other side of the road now,” he said.

The council’s business support group manager Rachael Burgess said the improvements followed community consultation and a parking survey, which fed into a wider vision for the town centre.

“The boulders are part of that wider streetscape treatment. They act as bollards to protect the footpath and nearby buildings from vehicles, help define and protect pedestrian-friendly spaces, support traffic calming, and contribute to a more open and attractive environment.”

The wider spaces also provide an accessible crossing point, with the raised traffic hump slowing vehicle speeds, she said.

“Council recognises that convenient parking is important to local businesses and their customers.

“It was noted in our conversations with business owners during project works that Moody Place is an underutilised source of parking and suggested that customers could make greater use of it.”

Ōpōtiki Four Square owner Lance Paltridge says since the removal of the parking spaces, he has noticed a huge increase in illegal parking on the footpath. Photo / LDR

The council previously explored additional signs to direct customers to the Moody Place carpark and is now looking at implementing this alongside improved sidewalk paving, Burgess said.

She said the council had not received evidence that the loss of car parks has resulted in a loss of business for nearby retailers.

“It is important to note that the performance of retail businesses in town centres is influenced by a range of factors. Changes in consumer behaviour, online shopping, household spending, economic conditions, competition and business offerings can all contribute to changes in retail activity.”

She encouraged anyone in the community with ideas for improving the town centre to take part in consultations early next year as the council develops its Long-Term Plan 2027-2037.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.