Tamworth Regional Council considering multi-storey carpark plans as part of 10-year parking strategy

A multi-storey carpark in the CBD could be on the cards as Tamworth Regional Council clambers to keep up with expected population growth.

A 10-year parking strategy will be discussed at Tuesday's council meeting after investigations revealed the city will need an extra 40 long-term parking spots each year to meet demand.

That's if the population target of 100,000 people by 2041 is on track.

According to council documents, it could be an expensive venture, with the most basic on-road carpark costing $11,000 including construction and land purchase, plus ongoing maintenance.

The vote comes after the council approved the sale of an all-day, free carpark on Dowe Street two weeks ago.

Building a multi-storey lot would also mean valuable commercial land in the CBD would be unavailable for private development, documents reveal.

There's already 3,744 council-owned spaces in the CBD and 20 per cent of those cost to park in.

There are 15 off-street carparks in the CBD and 61 per cent of those are occupied during peak business hours. Hill Street, town hall, Griffin Avenue, RSL and Ray Walsh House South have proved the most popular places to leave the car.

Read also:

The other half of council's carparks are under-utilised, which means there's about 400 vacant spaces across four sites during the busiest time of the day, council said.

Surveys found drivers weren't parking in other lots because of safety concerns and the distance from work.