Karrinyup Shopping Centre car park expansion approved as paid parking flagged for future

Hundreds more car parking bays are set to be built at Karrinyup Shopping Centre, with plans to expand its existing multi-storey car park now officially approved.

Two new parking levels will be constructed above the existing south-east multi-deck car park fronting Francis Avenue.

The expansion will create 267 parking bays, eventually bringing the shopping centre’s total parking capacity to 4950 bays.

Also included in the project are internal modifications to the existing car park, which will deliver new valet facilities on level two of the northern car park.

A new roof structure over existing car bays in the northern car park is also planned.

The development application was submitted by Rowe Group on behalf of shopping centre owner GPT Group and approved unanimously by the Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel on Wednesday, nearly two years after it was first lodged.

In the now-approved application, which was first submitted in September 2024, Rowe Group said parking demand at the centre had reached capacity.

“The centre’s popularity has surpassed expectations; therefore, the proposed (additional bays) are primarily born out of a need to address traffic congestion that occurs when the centre is busy,” the application stated.

“During peak hours, it is estimated that vehicles can experience circulation times of up to 20 minutes to find an available space.

“This then leads to issues with circulation within the car park areas, and to customers having difficulty exiting the facility. This often results in queuing out onto the main road and local streets and also parking in the surrounding local streets.”

During the meeting, project planners said the additional bays were expected to reduce the number of vehicles circulating within the car park and “take some pressure off the internal flow” rather than improve exiting traffic at peak times.

Changes to ramp access arrangements were originally proposed as part of the application but they were removed after not receiving support from Main Roads WA.

The cost of the complete project was estimated at $27 million.

Following the completion of an $800m redevelopment in 2021, which nearly doubled Karrinyup Shopping Centre’s size, parking and traffic pressures have increased around the centre.

The City of Stirling has implemented several measures in surrounding streets in an effort to improve traffic flow, parking and safety but challenges remain.

The city was supportive of the additional parking being added.

Parking at Karrinyup Shopping Centre is currently free, but the application said a paid parking system was intended to be introduced at a later date.

“The one strategy from (a parking plan) that has not been implemented is the paid parking system. Whilst the (GPT Group) has made provision for the system, it has not been implemented,” the application said.

“If we restrict parking with paid parking, it will likely impact the surrounding streets and exacerbate existing parking and access problems that the centre currently faces.

“The proponent will review this in the future to see if the situation has improved to a reasonable level and once it does, the paid parking system will be implemented.”