A private car park will soon be equipped with three-storey mechanical vehicle lifts which could help ease parking troubles in central George Town.
The Central Planning Authority approved plans for the $500,000 project on Genesis Close which will allow for 123 parking spaces – 87 on the lifts and 36 on ground level.
The lifts at The White House will extend upwards two storeys from the existing parking lot, allowing cars to be stacked vertically.
It will be the first time the technology has been used in the Cayman Islands.
DMS Properties, which presented plans to the authority on 1 Feb., said there will be no expansion of surface parking and they will stay within the existing parking kerbs.
The applicant also said introducing lifts will lessen the environmental impact of creating new spaces in the town, and they will be screened-in to minimise visual exposure, adding,“…efforts will assist significantly with the remediation of overflow parking along the already congested streets”.
Loss of light and privacy
Two nearby business owners objected to the plans, according to the meeting’s minutes, published online on 28 Feb.
In a letter from their legal representative, they said a buffer needed to be built between the new building and neighbouring lots.
The new car park may overshadow their property, the letter added, leading to a loss of light and loss of privacy, while breezes and westerly winds may be blocked.
The objectors expressed concerns about emergency vehicle access, and of restricted opportunity for their own future development and overcrowding.
Other worries included the loss of visual amenity of their property, a disproportionate amount of development on the plot, disruptive excavation work, noise and vibrations.
Architectural heritage
Despite the objections, the planning authority granted permission, subject to several conditions.
These include the submission of a new plan with live wall screening, and of a construction operations plan showing no obstruction of adjacent properties, roads or fire lanes.
The authority said, “The proposed parking lifts will ensure there is adequate parking for the existing commercial use of the site…”
This will help in reducing the potential for overflow parking onto adjacent roads and nearby properties, “thus improving this commercial area in central George Town”, it said.
No objections raised sufficient grounds for refusing permission, the CPA added, saying “…with appropriate screening, the lift structure will provide a standard of design, construction and landscaping that is reflective of the local architectural heritage of this area of George Town”.
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