Coffs council approves car park

Free parking will still be available, but limited to 15 minutes, putting extra pressure on airlines servicing Coffs Harbour to keep to their schedules.

The airport is the only major east coast airport currently offering free visitor parking.

The councils director of corporate business Craig Milburn said it was important to remember that the airport was a stand alone business which did not receive any ratepayer funds and paid a dividend back to council each year.

The paid parking would help cover growing operational costs at the airport, such as increased security requirements, Mr Milburn said.

The airport also has plans to extend the holding apron to accommodate additional aircraft and upgrade the air conditioning throughout the building to make it more environmentally friendly, .

Council recently installed checked baggage screening at a cost of $1.4 million, of which $300,000 was subsidised by the Federal Government.

It is planned that the new paid parking scheme will be up and running in early April 2010.

The first 15 minutes will be free and the first hour would be charged at $2, with a maximum fee of $12 a day.

Paid parking should also have the positive impact of freeing up car parks more quickly at the airports busiest times.The operator of the existing security car park, TAT Investments will be licensed to run the paid car parking and will install electronically-operated boom gates as well as being responsible for the collection of payments.

In brief discussion on the matter at Thursdays council meeting, Cr Mark Graham asked why the license had not been put out to public tender and Mr Milburn said the owner of the security car parks existing lease gave the company the first right of refusal on any new such operation on any airport land.