Council has agreed to slash parking fees by more than half at the Mooloolaba multi-storey carpark for the next six months after a study found people were not using it.
All-day parking at the ParknGo Mooloolaba Central will now incur a flat rate of $5 until May 2022, down from $12.50 a day. Charges start at $2.50 for the first hour but will be capped at $5.
The move has been welcomed by Mooloolaba businesses who were complaining that people had stopped visiting the tourism hotspot because of the expensive parking.
Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce president Graeme Juniper said that as few as 10 to 15 cars at a time were observed in the carpark on a daily basis, with more on weekends.
Mr Juniper said the $5 fee hopefully would encourage visitors to return and spend money in the area again.
“The council have been listening. The chamber we’ve been saying to them ‘You have to do something about it’ and they’ve listened and thank heavens they are doing something in a positive sense,” said Mr Juniper.
“That ($5 flat rate) will encourage a lot of people coming to Mooloolaba; that should be a very good economic driver for the Mooloolaba businesses.
“This hopefully comes a long way to ensuring we have a very busy six month period while this is still available.”
Mr Juniper said the chamber had requested a free period for parking, but was pleased with the reduction to $5 which he said was “incredibly low”.
“This is absolutely designed to bring more people to Mooloolaba and the price for the parking is incredibly low for uncover parking.
“You can go to the beach all day, for $5. When you go to your car, you’re not gonna cook, so it’s actually a very good outcome.”
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Mr Juniper said a multi-storey carpark like the one on the corner of First Avenue and Smith Street was a crucial economic driver — if it worked well.
“It’s good for our ratepayers as well, it’s good for everybody. It’s an economic driver for Mooloolaba. A major carpark is what does drive the economy, so we need that to work.”
The council announced the price change in a press release on Monday.
Built Infrastructure Group Executive Tom Jamieson said the six-month rate was an outcome of the Mooloolaba Visitation Study undertaken by council, in consultation with the Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce, between August and November 2021.
“The pricing change is anticipated to be one of a number of actions planned to be undertaken next year, in conjunction with the Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce,” Mr Jamieson said.
“Motorists parked for less than an hour will be charged $2.50 and once over the hour, parking is capped at $5 a day.
The eight-storey car park with 700 parking spaces was opened in December 2020 after much public debate about its cost and whether people would be willing to pay that much for parking.
Charges at the temporary Brisbane Road outdoor car park will remain the same: an hourly rate of $2.50, with a maximum daily charge of $12.50.”
Division 4 Councillor Joe Natoli said council remained committed to investing in and supporting Mooloolaba, with recent major infrastructure projects including the new Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation project, upgrades to Brisbane Road and Walan Street, the redeveloped Mooloolaba Holiday Park and the new ParknGo Mooloolaba Central car park.
“Providing a convenient flat rate parking option aims to provide a boost to local businesses, re-affirming Mooloolaba as one of the region’s premier destinations,” Cr Natoli said.
For more information about ParknGo Mooloolaba Central car park, including rates and a user’s guide, visit www.parkngo.com.au.
