Overnight parking restrictions will be introduced on an ocean-view street after residents raised concerns about antisocial behaviour.
Sunshine Coast Council conducted a survey in January seeking community feedback on whether to implement parking restrictions from 8pm to 4am on Marina Walk at Alexandra Headland.
It came after residents complained about antisocial behaviour in the area at night, including public drinking, hooning, intimidation, littering and illegal substance use.
A council spokesperson said the community feedback had been reviewed and a decision to implement the restrictions had been made.
“Council is progressing improvements to amenity and resident safety at Marina Walk, Alexandra Headland, following community feedback,” they said.
“Council undertook targeted community consultation to inform decision-making on proposed overnight parking restrictions at this location. The consultation sought to understand levels of community support, the impacts on residents and visitors, and whether there were alternative approaches that could respond to concerns while maintaining public access.
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“More than 220 community members shared their views, providing valuable insight into how the area is used and experienced.
“After considering all feedback received, council determined that adjusting overnight parking arrangements was the most appropriate response to the issues raised, balancing resident concerns with the need to maintain public access to a shared foreshore street.
“As a result, council will introduce no overnight parking between 8pm and 4am at Marina Walk.
“This targets the time when issues are most frequently reported, while preserving daytime and early evening access for the wider community.”
The changes will affect about 20 parking spaces on the street, which is only about 100m long but is close to Alex Bluff Foreshore Park, directly across the adjacent Alexandra Parade. The street has a row of multi-storey apartment complexes along its western side.
Parking restrictions were previously in place on the street from 6pm to 4am, and a petition was submitted to the council in February asking to restrict access to the street by non-residents in a bid to curb the issues.
“Some residents were fined so we withdrew it, and the problem has returned,” divisional councillor Joe Natoli said in introducing the petition to council on February 26.
“The police are struggling with the issue. It is public parking, but the kids are disrespectful. I have witnessed the mess myself. Something has to be done.”
The council spokesperson said Queensland Police had been consulted and would lead enforcement action during the restricted hours.
“Council acknowledges that the changes will reduce overnight parking availability and appreciates that this may inconvenience some residents and visitors,” they said.
“Importantly, the restrictions do not affect daytime access or limit public use of the foreshore.
“Council will review the effectiveness of the changes over time, with ongoing community feedback continuing to inform any future adjustments.”
The council will install signage and notify the community before the restrictions take effect.
The spokesperson said matters relating to antisocial behaviours such as hooning should be reported to police.
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.
