Residents say a careful approach must be taken in the proposed sale of Lidcombe’s John Street car park to ensure a balance is struck for both shoppers and commuters.
As part of the revitalisation of Lidcombe Town Centre, Cumberland City Council is considering selling the existing 55-space car park to make way for a tower, zoned for residential and commercial development.
As part of the sale, the developer will be required to dedicate 150 parking spaces to the public, with the aim to encourage visitors and provide better parking turnover for local businesses.
Recently Council held a community forum on the proposed sale where residents pleaded with Council to consider both shopper and commuter parking concerns.
Members from the Restore Inner West Line & Save T3 Bankstown Line Community Action Group say there is a growing need to address commuter parking issues for Lidcombe Station, arising from changes to the Sydney Trains Network on the T7 Olympic Park Line and the T3 Bankstown Line.
Since October 2013, the Olympic Park to Central via Strathfield regular weekday service and the Bankstown to City via Regents Park/Strathfield service has been cancelled, resulting in more commuters interchanging at Lidcombe.
From 2024, the Bankstown Line will be reduced to a shuttle between Lidcombe to Bankstown, resulting in the cancellation of all services from Birrong and Yagoona to the City.
Both changes to the Sydney Trains Network will encourage commuters to drive to Lidcombe Station and catch a direct train, rather than experiencing multiple train interchanges.
Community advocate and action group member Roydon Ng said unless the State Government was to restore the direct services, an influx of people driving to Lidcombe Station will cause further parking chaos.
Mr Ng said the Council needed to better collaborate with the State Government to address these issues.
The group are also calling on Transport for NSW, if the line is not restored, to invest in a Park N Ride facility or upgrade to the Bridge Street Carpark at Lidcombe.
A Cumberland City Council spokesperson said: “Council continues to work with the State Government in ensuring that infrastructure and services support growth in the Lidcombe area, and will continue to advocate for improvements to transport infrastructure and services”.
Other residents participating in the forum raised concerns around added congestion from high rise developments, as well as the prospect of residential overflow taking up public spaces.
The Council spokesperson said rangers would patrol the site.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.