A business group that initially opposed a proposal to overhaul a foreshore and remove a prominent car park is now urging people to ‘be positive’.
The Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce was among those that at first lamented Sunshine Coast Council’s plan to give the Mooloolaba foreshore a makeover and rip up the iconic Beach Terrace car park.
The first stage of the Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation Project, the Northern Parkland, was completed in 2022 while the second stage, the Southern Seawall and Central Meeting Place, is well underway.
The Central Parkland or another stage, the Southern Parkland, is next in line.
The iconic car park would make way for Central Parkland, which would include green space and community facilities. The site is in prime position, only metres from the main beach and the bustling esplanade.
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Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce president Brett Thompson said the group did not initially support the expansive foreshore works in general, including the removal of the car park, but he said it was important for people to move on and support the area.
“Once it was locked in by the council, we have been very clear that it’s now time to be positive, support our local businesses and get on with it,” he said.
“There is no room to talk about the past.
“Yes, there is a 400-metre stretch of beach getting a facelift but that doesn’t distract from our major attractions of the beach, shopping and dining venues.
“As a community we need to support our local businesses and promote what a fantastic destination it is.
“We don’t support the removal of the car parks but think positive and promote (the) council car park (on the corner of Smith Street and First Avenue).”
He said “Mooloolaba is still untapped” and the foreshore project had the potential to ensure the area is the “number one destination on the Sunshine Coast”.
A council spokesperson could not confirm exactly when the car park would make way and it’s not yet known where the money will come from to transform it.
“Timing and funding for the Central Parkland has not yet been determined, however council remains committed to delivering all stages of the project,” they said.
“While funding for the future stages – including the Central Parkland and Southern Parkland – has not yet been secured, Council is actively exploring all available funding opportunities to progress these works. Council will continue to seek external funding support.”
The council stated in a newsletter last year that a key driver of the project was to revitalise the foreshore in time for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The spokesperson said the removal of the car park was essentially supported by the public.
“The closure of Beach Terrace is in line with the outcomes of, and level of community support for, the 2015 Placemaking Mooloolaba Master Plan,” they said.
“More than 3000 participants took part in the community engagement exercise for the master plan. This established a clear understanding of core community values as well as needs and aspirations, and helped to generate the vision, principles and strategies of the plan.
“The permanent removal of the roadway and relocation of approximately 150 car parks was supported by 84 per cent of community engagement participants.”
The spokesperson said there would still be plenty of car parking in the area.
“The master plan recommended building an undercover parking station to provide additional parking at Mooloolaba,” they said.
“Opened in December 2020, the PARKnGO Mooloolaba Central car park features more than 700 public car parking spaces and 13 accessible parking bays, along with free bicycle parking. The undercover parking facility is 300 metres to Mooloolaba Beach and the foreshore.”
Mr Thompson said the current Stage 2 works had not had a significant impact on the number of people visiting from out of town.
“The accommodation properties are experiencing high occupancy rates due to September being one of the busiest months of the year,” he said.
“The winter period is always busy with interstate and New Zealand visitors travelling to the Sunny Coast for the sun (so) there has been little impact with most tourists not mentioning the works at all.”
But he did say the works seemed to be impacting local visitation, with lower turnover at retailers than usual at this time of year.
“(That) may be the effect of keyboard warriors from local social media platforms doing local businesses no favours by criticising the foreshore project,” he said.
Mr Thompson said several initiatives had been rolled out to promote the area including social media and marketing campaigns, supported by Visit Sunshine Coast and the council.
He said a business activation committee had been meeting with the council for past 18 months, leading to additional lighting, free four-hour parking and signage.
