Car park slug angers Belmont

Andrew Mathieson
Geelong’s council plans to slug retailers and residents almost half a million dollars for a new car park behind a supermarket.
But Belmont Business Association president Vince Albanese said more than 100 High Street retailers were demanding council pass the bill onto their rich landlords instead.
“Whenever council imposes levies like that it should be the landlords who pay because it’s their property,” Mr Albanese said.
City of Greater Geelong bought the car park site from supermarket chain Aldi in 2006. The City plans to use a special charge scheme to force traders to pay half the cost of the land and construction of the 90-space car park.
The levy extends to residents in Belmont Street.
Mr Albanese feared that the levy would force some “mum-and-dad businesses” out of the Belmont shopping strip.
“It’s going to hurt quite a bit,” he said.
“A lot of business are very worried. A lot of them are doing it hard.”
Mr Albanese said traders had agreed to consider a levy as a “worst-case scenario” in discussions with the City before it bought the land.
“The only way (the City said) it would purchase the land was if we agreed in-principle, so we did, with the hope it would never come in.”
Mr Albanese called for State Government to provide funding or demand council scrapped the levy.
Mayor Bruce Harwood, whose ward covers Belmont, said the City was “very mindful” of the cost impact on some traders.
The charges on traders for the new car park would be scaled accordingly, he said.
“We have the support of Belmont Traders Association for this project,” Cr Harwood said.
“Council had discussions with the traders prior to the purchase of this land and it was agreed that the project was essential to the retail and commercial centre’s continued development.”