Parking push backfires

A City of Ryde Council investigation into the availability of three sites at Eastwood for temporary parking has come to a dead end. Councillors recently approved Clr Justin Li’s motion to ask owners of the closed Mobil Station, the former Complete Hardware site and former St Andrews Church site, if their land could be used for car parking.

Council staff contacted the three site owners but no one was willing or able to provide access. The old Mobil Station is fenced off and inaccessible to the public until an investigation into the contamination of the site has been completed next year.

Council’s report stated that it was contrary to Mobil’s in-house policy to allow temporary use of a potentially contaminated site. Once cleared for use, Council says the property is likely to be put up for sale. A development application has been lodged with Council for a mixed-use development at the former Complete Hardware site, making it unavailable.

Owners of the vacant land once occupied by St Andrews Church declined Council’s request.

Clr Li said the owners were able to do what they wanted with their land but it didn’t say much for their community spirit.

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