Councillor Warren Steel is excited the April Meeting of Council unanimously agreed to undertake geotechnical and soil contamination investigation and testing of Council’s South

Akuna Street carpark.

“This is the next step in furthering an idea I had been working on late last year with General Manager Kerry McMurray,” he says.

The concept is to dig down 11 metres, put in two basement levels of parking, then a level for Aldi or another supermarket, and another two levels of parking above that.

“Everybody you speak to says they don’t come into town anymore because they can’t get parking,” he says.

“Parking is the big issue, and we have to do something about it now.”

Cllr Steel sees great benefit in Council developing and retaining the property, which has been vacant since at least the time he was first elected in 1983.

“We desperately need parking, and it would be a money-maker for us.

“It is a project we could go into debt for, knowing it will give a return.

“Money has never been as cheap as it is now. This is the time to do it.”

Apart from the retail rental income, there would be revenue from visitor parking.

“Residents and ratepayers would get two hours free, but anyone else would have to pay,” he says.

“In Wollongong, it is a real money-maker.”

If, alternatively, the valuable property was sold to a developer, Cllr Steel thinks they should be required to do the same thing with it.

“If I stand at the next election, it will be one of the things I will be pushing for – that, and a five star hotel.”

The work will entail drilling a number of boreholes across the site to extract soil samples, measure water tables and rock levels and undertake laboratory testing for soil classification and contamination analysis.

It will be undertaken by SMEC Australia P/L, which has undertaken similar work across the road for the Akuna St development, for a cost of $25,000. The money will come from Council’s Land Development Reserve, with the work expected to take three months.

“We could do it in this Council if we get off our backsides,” says Cllr Steel.