Hands off Howard Street! Nambour unites in opposition to Council's car park sale proposal

Brian Bugenhagen: “You cannot revitalise a town centre by taking away infrastructure that supports it.”

Nambour Chamber of Commerce Vice President Brian Bugenhagen has warned Sunshine Coast Council the proposed sale of the Howard Street/Sydney Street car park risks undermining the future of the town centre.

Mr Bugenhagen said the level of community opposition to the proposal had been “extraordinary”, with thousands of comments across social media, talkback radio and local media overwhelmingly against the move. The Chamber has been joined by Nambour Groups and Nambour Now in opposing the move.

“Among the large volume of commentary, I have not seen or heard a single comment in favour of this proposal,” Mr Bugenhagen said.

He stressed the opposition was not to affordable housing itself, but to the suitability of this particular site.

“Most people recognise the need for additional housing across the Sunshine Coast,” Mr Bugenhagen said. “However, there is a strong and unified view that this particular site is entirely inappropriate for such development.”

Mr Bugenhagen said the loss of 76 public car parks in a central location would have immeimmediate and long-term consequences for local businesses and accessibility. “These spaces are heavily used every day by people accessing shops, services, medical facilities and community amenities in the town centre,” he said.

“Once these spaces are removed, the shortfall in parking capacity cannot realistically be replaced elsewhere within the CBD.”

He said the impact would be even more severe during flooding events, when more than 650 car parks near the creek and under the Woolworths complex are lost.

“At those times, the Sydney Street/Howard Street car park becomes the primary emeremergency parking area for the CBD,” he said.

Mr Bugenhagen also raised concerns about additional parking pressure from the proposed development itself, which is understood to include around 64 units.

“Even if only half of those households have two vehicles, this would result in an additional 32 vehicles seeking on-street parking,” he said.

He said this would place further strain on already limited parking and compete directly with customers and staff. The Chamber had previously advocated for the site to be upgraded into a multi-storey car park to support future growth, he said.

“Instead of strengthening Nambour’s infrastructure to support growth, the current proposal would permanently remove one of the most strategically located parking assets available to the community.”

Mr Bugenhagen said the proposal was particularly difficult to accept following what he described as a lack of recent investment in the town. “In that context, the proposal to sell one of Nambour’s key public assets appears to be a step backwards,” he said.

The council has deferred a decision on the proposal for eight weeks following community backlash. Mr Bugenhagen warned that once the land was sold, the community would have little influence over the outcome.

He urged councillors to retain the site and work with the community on a long-term parking strategy. “This is not simply about a car park; it is about trust, transparency and the future of our town centre,” he said. “You cannot revitalise a town centre by taking away the infrastructure that supports it.”

Save Nambour CBD. Sign the petition ...

Newly formed community Group Nambour Now has launched a petition urging council to retain the Howard Street car park as a vital public asset. 

“A lot of locals rely on that car park, particularly people with disabilities and the elderly,” said petitioner Sarah Vortman, from Nambour Now. “It’s close to health services, chemists and community facilities, and there are very few disability parks in that area.”

The new petition request that Council:

• Retain the Howard Street car park as vital public parking

• Protect accessible, central parking in Nambour’s CBD

• Prioritise alternative locations when considering future development   

Residents can sign the petition at  www.change.org and search "hands-off-howard-street".