Air Apartments in St. Leonards has joined the recent property development scene where residents are deprived of sufficient car parks to meet individual needs. Instead, ride share car pods are provided.
This trendy idea is also widespread among other new apartment developments in Sydney’s inner city, eastern suburbs, inner west, and lower north shore. This is partly due to high costs of including car parks when building new apartments, particularly if the site is awkwardly-shaped or if underground excavation is required.
Some other developers are building parking lots that are offered for sale separately from the apartment units themselves. These spaces cost up to $100,000 extra each and are therefore less affordable to many.
Brighid Sammon of Hansen Partnership, who won 2017 National Young Planner of the Year, said it is exciting to note that the property development industry is going towards a greener future. New designs are consistent with the aim of reducing the number of cars on the road.
On the other hand, the absence of parking spaces is inconvenient to some apartment buyers, many of whom require a car for their job. Also, some apartments are located where there is no convenient public transport system.
However, the introduction of ride sharing services is changing people’s perspective on the need of owning a car. For example, Uber is now well-received worldwide following successful advertising campaigns including referral bonus programs, discounts on rides, and poster printing and display globally.
