$50 million seven-storey carpark proposed to beat parking squeeze at Murdoch health precinct amid construction

A $50 million multi-storey carpark has been proposed as a “back-up” solution to a looming parking squeeze at the Murdoch health precinct. About 1000 health workers are expected to lose their parking spots when work starts on the new women and babies hospital. The City of Melville has recommended State planners support plans from Lateral Planning for a $50 million seven-storey carpark with 515 car bays and 49 motorbike bays, and a supermarket on the ground floor, at Lot 120 Barry Marshall Parade. The WA Planning Commission will have the final say on the proposal as it is valued at more than $20m. The site between Barry Marshall Parade and Wonnul Place is currently vacant and used as parking by construction workers at the Murdoch Health and Knowledge Precinct. It is near the recently completed Murdoch Square development, which includes an aged-care facility, hotel, medical centre and other businesses, and St John of God Hospital. Lateral Planning said the proposal would help address a looming parking shortfall during construction of the new women and babies hospital. “Construction of the hospital and other activities in the Murdoch precinct will displace parking for health workers, with approximately 1000 bays being unavailable during the construction period,” their submission said. “(The) multi-storey carpark provides a long-term solution to meet the ongoing parking needs of government health workers for both the Fiona Stanley Hospital and the new women and babies hospital.” They expected the parking bays to be ready by December 2026. City statutory planning manager Kate Bainbridge told a city briefing on July 8 there was a “significant” carparking problem in this location, especially with new projects such as the hospital. “We’ll continue to see carparking pressure in this precinct until such time as we have more more public transport and more residents hopefully in that area in the future,” Ms Bainbridge said. Last year the Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel gave approval for a 24-storey building with offices and 216 housing units and a 13-storey commercial building — each with four levels of carparking — to be developed on this and a neighbouring site. Ms Bainbridge said the supermarket and carpark development was a “back-up option”. “We’re really hoping that the ... commercial development and the social housing can proceed,” she said. “They’re sort of hedging the bets ... so that one aspect would still proceed and then the other would sort of fall away and be replaced by this one if they couldn’t make it stack up.” Lateral Planning’s application said if the demand for parking reduced, some of the parking levels could be adapted for residential development. Conditions of the city’s recommendation for approval include the first floor of the development being amended to have 15 parking bays with a 30-minute time limit for supermarket customers. It has also asked for modifications to the Fiona Wood Road-Wonnul Place intersection to discourage right-turn movements out of Wonnul Place.