Blog: Attraction or obstruction? Was the palm tree installation worth it?

After visiting Crown Central multiple times in the past two weeks staff at stores within the facility have mentioned the current issue with parking within the city centre and the impact it has cause on their sales. 

A staff member at JAM Woman clothing explained that they have seen a drastic decrease in recent years due to the lack of affordable parking available for customers. The sales within this store have also been heavily impacted by Coronavirus and the cancellation of formal events within the area. 

During another visit to the centre I spoke to the manager of The Body Shop who raised her concern and opinions about the recent lack of customers. This store has also recognised a decrease in customers entering the centre, as well as hearing complaints from customer comparing this centre to other shopping complexes within the region. 

As a Wollongong local and a regular visitor to Crown Street Mall I have been caught by the parking fees on multiple occasions. If you are visiting the centre for multiple hours you can find yourself spending an absurd amount on parking alone as the fees drastically increase if you do go over the 3 hour limit on the minimum charge. 

During the time of the instillation of this art display I was working at a retail outlet and did notice a slight increase in visitors to the centre however this was not ongoing. These visitors were amazed by the design and thought that was put into the creation of the display but shortly after they returned to complaining about the necessity for free parking within the area.