Six years ago, the City Council approved a report to provide a replacement car park in Hunter Street at the edge of the university campus. As the Planning and Transport Convener of the day, I welcomed this proposal.
The advantages of improved parking facilities on the campus edge are obvious and the facility would also assist residents in the West Port and wider local area, where parking is difficult. It would also relieve many West End streets from university-related on-street parking.
Back in 2012, I criticised the current SNP administration for quietly ditching the commitment to build the multi storey car park (MSCP) at Hunter Street, despite the fact it was a decision of the City Council to build it and the SNP group had welcomed the plans when first proposed.
I recently asked the council's Director of City Development for an update on 'progress' and here is his response:
"The situation is unchanged from my previous response in October 2012. While the Olympia MSCP is experiencing a monthly growth in patronage of 8%, currently there is no viable case for a further MSCP at Hunter Street.
I do not have a set timescale for reviewing this issue. Basically we need to see how/if parking patronage bounces back as we come out of the recession, if it does and we have a resultant shortage of off-street parking, then we would see if a new MSCP was viable."
I will be continuing to press for the long-promised improved parking facilities at Hunter Street, although it appears clear that there is currently a lack of momentum on this from the City Council and its SNP administration.