A Sunshine Coast Council motion calling on the state government to address the long-term storage of recreational vehicles on local roads has been supported by an overwhelming majority of local councils.
It was one of five motions presented this week to the Queensland Local Government Conference (LGAQ) AGM by the council, all of which were endorsed.
The motion regarding vehicles such as caravans, trailers, boats and mobile homes was supported by the membership and will now form part of the LGAQ’s advocacy platform on behalf of councils and their local communities.
Residents have recently expressed their frustration at large recreational vehicles clogging local roads, including a petition signed by about 1150 people and a man aggrieved at parked vans either side of his driveway. The council receives about 700 ‘service requests’ on the issue each year.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli and Deputy Mayor Maria Suarez were the council voting delegates at the meeting.
Cr Natoli spoke to the motion asking delegates to support a push for the LGAQ to advocate to the state for options allowing councils to manage the storage of recreational vehicles on roads.
The aim is to address growing concerns around safety, parking capacity and neighbourhood amenity across many Queensland communities. However, the council says current legislative framework does not provide councils with practical tools to manage this issue effectively.
“This is an issue impacting our council and others across the state, with residents complaining about safety concerns, a lack of available parking and neighbourhood streets that are clogged and ugly,” she said.
“We receive 700 complaints a year plus thousands of signatures on petitions and we are not alone. We are calling for the state government to assist us with legislation to manage this for our communities.”
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The LGAQ will add this item to its agenda for advocacy work in the year ahead. There will be no immediate changes to any policy.
“There is a long way to go and there will opportunity for public consultation before any changes are progressed,” Cr Natoli said.
The motions presented by the council and supported were:
• Funding to provide supported accommodation models (supporting options to address homelessness)
• Investigating options for managing the storage of recreational vehicles on roads (this is now a composite motion with Gold Coast City Council)
• Enhancing federal funding for local biosecurity efforts against fire ants
• Enhancing state and federal government support for roadside litter management
• Technical design guidance for climate resilience for Queensland councils (this is now a composite motion with Fraser Coast Regional Council)
Noosa Council also had all four of its motions endorsed at the LGAQ conference on the Gold Coast. They were:
• Increased state funding and support for dispute resolution programs and mediation centres
• The state supporting interested coastal communities in trialling removal of shark nets during whale migration season
• Calling on the federal government to accelerate action on the National Plastics Plan
• Boosting state investment in early intervention programs for young people, with a focus on improving mental health, wellbeing and community connection.
The LGAQ conference involves 77 councils from across the state.
