Businessman Patrick Lane said business operators who spoke out earlier this week failed to mention that workers continued to snag prime car parks before shoppers venture into the CBD.

Maitland City Council came under fire from Levee traders who said their businesses were suffering because it had failed to address the parking problem.

Traders said their constant pleas to council fall on deaf ears and they are further frustrated by council’s willingness to approve housing estates on the city’s fringes without providing adequate parking. They were also critical of council spending money on consultants to carry out a parking study.

“What we failed to identify and what has been pointed out on The Mercury’s Facebook page are the workers who are parking in prime locations under cover, all day, pushing shoppers away from the city centre,” Mr Lane said.

“Workers won’t park on Kmart rooftop for example because it’s too hot but early in the morning, Kmart car park is full of workers who are displacing shoppers. If you work in town you need your jobs and you need shoppers to make sure your business thrives. The bottom line is that we need a multi-storey car park with top floor shade available for all-day parkers,” Mr Lane said.

“And it’s not just all about retail. Maitland is a dynamic business and professional hub with bankers, medical and legal professionals. We’re at the centre of the wheel – the centre of this suburbia we’ve created. We are lucky geographically we’re still in the middle of everything,” he said.

The Mercury asked council for further comment and to provide consultant’s costs. We received the following response: “Council committed to undertake the Central Maitland Parking Study in line with a notice of motion from July 2017 calling for a review of parking. Funding has been provided within the 2018/19 budget.”