It might not be needed now but it could be in the future, Mayor Bob Kirk said.

At Tuesday night's council meeting he successfully called for further staff investigations into the pros, cons and costs of such a facility in Ellesmere Street.

The car park was floated several years ago but scrapped when the council decided that it wasn't needed. 

"I don't know that we should put it away completely," Cr Kirk said on Wednesday.

"The town is growing...I personally want to keep it on the list. I'm not saying we'll do it in a hurry but let's look at all the issues and keep it alive."

Cr Margaret O'Neill said she was pleased to see the matter raised again.

"It was a priority," she said.

"That area really needs a car park."

In 2014, general manager Warwick Bennett commissioned designs for a one-storey car park in Ellesmere Street which he estimated could cost $2.5 million to $3m.

In 2016 a CBD parking working party, comprising community and council members, made recommendations about the city's future needs.

Former member Graham Dally told councillors during Tuesday's open forum that the group had never concluded that Goulburn had an excess of spaces, as the council stated.

"(This is) wrong, flawed and without foundation. This claim was pushed by one council employee on the committee," Mr Dally wrote in his submission.

But somehow it found its way into a final report and then the draft CBD plan. Mr Dally said the group pushed for a survey of parking needs but the council wasn't keen.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Dally said this raw data was needed first before any investigations started on a multilevel car park.

"It's putting the cart before the horse," he said.

Also read

Future car parking plans put to council

Goulburn's CBD plan sparks parking concerns

Several recent development applications have highlighted CBD parking challenges. One was a rear addition to the former Ray White real estate office in Clifford Street, where owner Brian Walkom wanted to undertake a rear addition. Council planners initially recommended refusal, arguing parking spaces were inadequate.

But councillors deferred this recommendation.

At the time, Cr Kirk said the addition didn't increase the building footprint and there was flexibility within the parking code to allow it.

On Tuesday night, councillors allowed an applicant a further 28 days to supply outstanding information on a DA for a 26-room motel and cafe in the former State Bank building at 253-255 Auburn Street. It had only provided for four car parking spaces and relied largely on on-street parking. When the matter returns, councillors "may" consider a voluntary planning agreement whereby the applicant financially contributes to a separate CBD car parking reserve as an offset.

Cr Kirk said the council was developing a contribution plan for CBD parking, which could be the catalyst for establishing a fund to alleviate such issues.

"(They (developers) can't just make spaces appear so we need to find a way for those sorts of businesses to contribute to such a fund," he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Dally also called for more long-vehicle parking spots. He is a rural resident who often brings a trailer load of rubbish to the tip and then does shopping. He said he was unable to park within reasonable proximity of shops and his ill wife could not walk long distances.

Speaking in regard to overall parking, Mr Bennett told the meeting that he had spoken to landowners off Sloane Street who were open to selling the council land for more spaces. If successful, this could be for vehicles of all types.

Mr Dally told the meeting that other towns, like Cooma, provided long vehicle spaces close to supermarkets.

"Until we have them, rural residents will be losing out," he said.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, councillors called for more investigation into whether dedicated parking spots for police were needed in Montague Street. These are reserved for senior police visiting the Hume Police District office in nearby Auburn Street.

Cr Andrew Banfield questioned whether they were needed and said nobody else had parking spots reserved in this way.

Staff will also explore whether a stop accommodating one bus length rather than two can be established in Montague Street for regional services. This would be a a drop-off point only with buses then going on to Cartwright Place. 

Other decisions included:

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