PRIOR to the introduction of paid parking in the Ellenbrook town centre less than 100 people responded to the City of Swan’s request for public comment.

In Ellenbrook paid parking starts City of Swan Mayor Tanya Richardson said the city had closely monitored the rollout from consultation to implementation, making minor refinements in response to feedback such as adjusting the location of ticket machines for easier access, increasing signage for payment options, updating FAQs on the city’s website, implementing EasyPark and making small concrete adjustments for ticket machine bases.

But Mrs Richardson’s response did not mention that only 50 people responded to the online consultation nor did it mention that most respondents were not in favour of paying for parking.

According to the December council report, of the 50 respondents the majority (51 per cent) were residents of Ellenbrook, with others attending the area for work (18 per cent) or to visit businesses (14 per cent).

“Almost all respondents confirmed that they either currently parked in the area and/or planned to continue parking there in future,’’ the report said.

“Of the people parking in the area a small proportion park for less than an hour (10 per cent), a third park there for between one to three hours (33 per cent) and the majority (57 per cent) currently park for longer than four hours.

“Most of the respondents (82 per cent) answered ‘no’ when asked if they would be happy to pay for parking if it gave them more access to parking bays.’’

The report also said the respondents living in the area indicated a strong desire for residential parking permits.

“The residential areas of the proposed plan are exclusively on road parking proposed for time limitations only.”

The Planning and Development Act 2005 requires local governments to make reasonable endeavours to consult with people who may be affected by a local planning scheme or amendment.

Echo News asked the City of Swan if the reasonable endeavour to consult also applied to the introduction of paid parking in a town centre and whether the city considered 50 responses adequate consultation on the introduction of paid parking in the Ellenbrook town centre.

The city was also asked if residential parking permits were something the city (or council) could review if parking in the Ellenbrook town centre becomes a bigger issue.

On Thursday morning Mrs Richardson confirmed the city conducted community consultation on the Ellenbrook town centre parking plan from June 24 to July 21, 2024.

“Affected community members were contacted via a letter – a targeted social media campaign, advertisements in the local newspaper and signage and flyers were also implemented in the area,’’ she said.

“The Planning and Development Act 2005 does not apply to parking management plans, however, the city prioritises community engagement in decisions affecting residents and businesses and reasonable efforts were made to consult with the community on this plan.

“The city does not currently issue residential parking permits, however, if these were required as parking demand increases, this would be considered by council.”