Central Coast Council to explore paid beach parking for visitors

A paid parking system for tourists across Central Coast beaches has been floated by council’s administrator Dick Persson. Do you think visitors should pay?

Council is looking at charging tourists for beachside parking.

Tourists could be forced to pay for parking at Central Coast beaches.

The visitor based beach parking system has been highlighted as a potential strategy to help Central Coast Council out of its financial crisis.

At Monday’s council meeting, interim administrator Dick Persson AM called for an urgent report to investigate the possibility of a paid parking scheme for visitors to the region.

Locals would not have to pay, instead receiving special parking permits in the form of a sticker or an electronic method.

The permit would include all Central Coast beaches and not be limited to beaches closest to where people live.

Terrigal Beach parking could become paid parking for tourists.

Mr Persson said while further cuts cannot be made to council’s budget and services to help council out of its financial woes, he had identified that the coast had a “large underpinning from the tourism sector”.

“The ratepayers pay a lot to provide services for the community such as beach services,” he said.

He said a paid parking scheme would be a way for visitors to make a small contribution.

“I think ratepayers should not have to pay all of the costs associated with providing services,” he said.

Mr Persson said many other beachside councils charged visitors for parking.

“A lot of other beachside councils have been operating similar systems for a very long time.

“It’s about getting a small contribution from visitors for providing lifesavers and other services.

“It’s not radical, people are used to paying for beachside parking in other areas.”

He said the average cost for similar parking was around $4 an hour but more information would come back in a report expected to come back to council in mid March.

Mr Persson has copped backlash against the proposed 15 per cent rate rise, however has assured the community that other areas are being explored to generate income and save money.