The community is being asked to weigh in on potential parking changes at Picnic Point Esplanade, as concerns grow about overnight camping and long-term vehicle storage in the area.
Sunshine Coast Council has launched a community survey to assess whether adjustments to current parking controls are needed, following feedback about illegal camping activity and the use of yellow line markings on the residential side of the street.
A council spokesperson said the survey would help guide any future decisions.
“Council is engaging with the community in response to concerns about overnight camping and the yellow line markings on the residential side of Picnic Point Esplanade, Maroochydore,” the spokesperson said.
“The information gathered through this one-off survey will help council assess whether any changes to parking controls are required and will be retained to support future parking related decisions.”
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Three options have been put forward for consideration.
Option one would see no changes to existing arrangements, maintaining unrestricted on-street parking for all users. While this would preserve equal access, it may allow illegal camping and long-term vehicle storage to continue, and does little to encourage turnover of parking spaces.
Option two proposes four-hour parking limits between 7am and 5pm on the foreshore side only. This approach would discourage long-term vehicle storage while still allowing overnight parking for residents and visitors. However, there are concerns the issue could shift to the residential side and reduce available overflow parking.
Option three would introduce four-hour parking limits at all times on both sides of the street. This is expected to eliminate long-term storage and reduce illegal camping, while improving amenity and increasing short-stay availability. It could also significantly impact residential overflow parking and remove overnight parking options for visitors.
Community feedback will play a key role in determining whether any of the proposed changes are implemented.
Have your say via the survey here. Submissions close at 5pm on March 23.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
