Carparking Planning and Management

Key Information: 

• The total number of carparks within Westhaven Marina is 1,824.
• Within Westhaven, 823 carparks are allocated for permit holders, yacht clubs, drop off zones and accessible parking (these are painted yellow) and 689 carparks are for general use (painted white). There are also 32 tenant carparks, and 172 ‘pay and display’ spaces at Z Pier.
• There are currently 1,528 berths at Westhaven, plus 159 pile berths and 53 commercial berths at Z Pier.

Regulatory Framework:

Carparking at Westhaven is regulated through the Unitary Plan requirements for the Westhaven Precinct and via any applicable Resource Consents:

• The Coastal – Marina Zone and Westhaven Precinct provisions in the Unitary Plan require that an overall ratio of 0.5 carparks per berth must be maintained
• Additionally, Resource Consents issued in respect of any development or project around the marina precinct apply specific conditions that must be adhered to

The original prospectus documents issued by Ports of Auckland (between November 1992 and April 2003) included general statements regarding the quantity and allocation of carparks at Westhaven.  However, none of the historical statements quantified the minimum number of car parks required, nor where car parks are to be located in respect of any berths.

In reality, Westhaven presently offers a ratio closer to one carpark per berth and it's anticipated that ratio will remain at or about that level, even after all of the projects are completed.

Future planning:

The Westhaven Plan, published in 2013, is the masterplanning document for Westhaven and details twelve key proejcts, including: 

• Project 1: Westhaven Promenade The second stage of this project will remove some carparks from the area between Sails Restaurant and R Pier, but this will be offset by improved layout and vehicle flow in other areas nearby.  Details will be confirmed during the design process for this project.  
• Project 4, the Pile Berth Redevelopment in Stage 1 will add an additional 105 carparks to the northern area, and an additional 117 berths.
• Project 6: Westhaven Marine Village The proposed building  has a Ground Floor Area of 2,461m2. It will cover some carpark spaces, but the balance of the area will be reconfigured and improved. As part of the development around 50 parking spaces will be be dedicated to the Marine Village tenancies for guest and staff parking. The balance of the area known as the Western carpark (between the marina office and Sails Restaurant) will be retained as parking with a total of 83 parking spaces to be provided for public use. 
• The upgrade of Curran Street will increase the amount of carparks in usage thanks to improved road layout.
• The Auckland Harbour Bridge Pathway should also not remove any carparks from the pool at Westhaven Marina, although it will increase demand for parking.

Usage at peak and non peak times:

Westhaven generally has a surplus of carparking but recently increased pressure from commuters and public wishing use Westhaven’s carparks has required the application of time limits and ticket enforcement. It is recognized that there is regular pressure on the northern part of Westhaven around the clubs, and at peak times in certain other areas, but there is significant capacity in the western and southern parts of the marina.

The current permit system enables berth holders to utilize the ‘yellow’ spaces. Berth holders each receive two carpark passes to use when boating. Of course, this usage is changing, and that necessitates ongoing monitoring and carpark management.

Carpark Management Systems

A Carpark Management System, likely to include a combination of number plate recognition, barrier arms, pay and display, enforcement, and user management, will enable Westhaven's carparks to meet the requirements of numerous types of users in the future. Read more on Panuku's work in this area here