Light at the end of the car park tunnel

THE upcoming repairs to Murwillumbah’s multi-storey car park will come as a relief to the frustrated motorists of Murwillumbah, who have struggled with a parking deficit in the town for two years since fire damaged the facility in 2023.

When completed, the repaired structure will provide an additional 179 car parks, including two accessible parking spaces, to the CBD.

After a complex assessment process, construction was planned to start in April, but in late February, the forensic engineers refused to issue their final design documents or certify the design phase due to concerns about waterproofing.

The council engaged another forensic engineer and sought further waterproofing solutions.

Tweed Council acting general manager Naomi Searle said it had taken a long time due to many complicated and unanticipated issues.

“Once we started sorting out repairs with our insurer, it became clear that there were other issues with the car park which weren’t the result of the fire,” Searle said.

“We found corrosion problems in the car park, which meant that we had to work out a way to fix the fire damage, the corrosion damage and also investigate why there were water leaks causing corrosion.

“Of course, when you are dealing with an insurance claim, you also don’t have complete control of the project and timelines.

“The complexity of the repairs also meant finding extra contractors and money to undertake the unexpected extra work.”

Repairs are scheduled to begin in mid-November, and the council anticipates that the works will be completed by the end of January 2026.

The waterproofing will comprise a separate project later that year.

“Adding nearly that many car parks to what is currently available will

have some positive impact on parking in the centre of Murwillumbah,” Searle said.