Lions hand Noosa Council petition about carparking near Hastings St

A community group fighting to save hundreds of car parks used by visitors to Noosa says more than 15,000 cars had used the parks under threat because of State Government and council policies.

The Noosa Council will formally receive a petition regarding car parking in the heart of Noosa Heads at its meeting on April 20.

A community group has gathered thousands of signatures in a battle to reinstate holiday carparking in the heart of Noosa.

In March, the Noosa Council scaled back the use of the Noosa Heads Lions Park for carparking every school holidays.

The Tewantin Noosa Lions Club manages the carparking on the land.

The carparking was ramped up to school holidays and long weekends during Covid-19 to encourage people to drive to Noosa while travel restrictions and border closures existed.

The council, after consulting the state government, allowed carparking in the 2023 Easter and Christmas holidays.

Tewantin Noosa Lions Club member Michael Roach hands Noosa councillor Amelia Lorentson a petition regarding school holiday carparking at the Noosa Heads Lions Park. Picture: Contributed

Deputy Mayor Frank Wilkie said the park’s continued use for parking beyond 2023 would be put to the community for feedback.

On April 19, Tewantin Noosa Lions Club past president and member Michael Roach handed councillor Amelia Lorentson a petition containing more than 2300 signatures supporting carparking at the site every school holidays.

The Lions club’s immediate past president Paul Beeston said in the 12 months to Christmas 2022, the park held 15,500 cars.

He said the club earned $60,000 in carparking fees in the 2021-22 financial year.

Mr Beeston said the money was split evenly with the council and the Lions half was distributed to the community and Lions’ charities.

Mr Beeston said this financial year, even with the loss of the June school holidays, the club was on track to make $80,000 from the temporary car park.

The Noosa Heads Lions Park is close to Hastings Street in Noosa Heads.

“People, generally, they’re coming from outside of Noosa and they don’t want to catch a bus, they have kids and surfboards,” he said.

Mr Beeston said some of the organisations that benefited from the funds included the Katie Rose Hospice and the Coast Guard.

“Closing off car parks is not going to solve the problem of cars in Noosa Heads, is our considered opinion,” he said.

Mr Beeston said the club had managed parking at the site for about 20 years.

Mr Wilkie said last month’s council decision honoured the commitment the council made regarding the temporary use of “this much-loved green space” for carparking.

“And taking into account increased free bus services and other planned transport measures, we’d like the community to have a say in the future of this much-loved parkland,” he said.

The councillor said the use of the Lions park for carparking was “contrary” to state government guidelines and the Noosa planning scheme, transport strategy and design principles.

Noosa Deputy Mayor Frank Wilkie.

“With 14,000 vehicles accessing Hastings Street precinct during peak periods, the 150-200 spaces offered in Lions Park don’t significantly improve supply or demand but do provide an incentive for motorists to enter the precinct, which increases congestion,” Mr Wilkie said.

The councillor said walking and cycling paths into the precinct had also received upgrades and 1500 other car spaces and drop-off zones remained.

The council formally received the petition at Thursday afternoon’s council meeting, on April 20.

Council chief executive Larry Sengstock said the community would have its say about the park’s continued use beyond 2023.

“We all value the work of the Lions Club and will continue to work with them,“ Mr Sengstock said.

Mr Sengstock said council was required to seek state government approval every time Lions Parks was used for a car park.

“The use of the site as a car park is not aligned to the gazetted use defined by Department of Natural Resources,” he said.

“Now that council offers free weekend bus service, as well as free buses during holiday periods, it’s hoped more people will utilise the services during the July and September holidays.”