Petition calls for pause on CBD car park sale

The car park on the corner Howard and Sydney Streets, looking from Sydney Street.

A community petition has been launched urging Sunshine Coast Council to halt plans to sell the Howard Street car park until proper consultation and impact assessments are carried out.

Nambour resident and disability advocate Sarah Vortman has started the petition, arguing the community has been given just days to respond to a proposal that has been in discussion for years.

“This isn’t about opposing affordable housing – the need for it is clear. But decisions about community-owned land should be made with the community, not without them. We’re asking Council to pause, consult properly, and ensure accessibility and local impacts are fully considered before any sale proceeds,” Ms Vortman said.

The petition calls on council to undertake an accessibility impact assessment, ensure replacement parking, assess environmental impacts and consider the effect on local businesses before any decision proceeds.

It also calls for “genuine community consultation on the loss of this public asset”.

The move comes as councillors prepare to decide whether to sell the centrally located car park at 46–62 Howard Street to Coast2Bay Housing Group for affordable and social housing.

Petition organisers say the site plays a vital role in the functioning of the town centre.

“For people with disability, chronic health conditions, or reduced mobility, it plays a critical role in enabling access to local services in town,” the petition states.

“Local businesses in the area also rely on it for customer access, and its loss is likely to impact foot traffic and viability for small businesses nearby.”

Concerns have also been raised about the environmental value of the site, including mature trees and wildlife habitat.

The petition points to council’s own report, which confirms no formal community consultation had been undertaken and identifies “no foreseen risks”, with no detailed assessment of accessibility, parking or business impacts.

Nambour Now Chair Helen Tagg said: “To be clear, this is not on Coast2Bay. They are doing important work. We need more housing, absolutely no question. But the process undertaken by council does matter. Decisions like this should be transparent, properly planned, and involve the community from the start.

“When you remove the community from decisions, you risk worse outcomes and leave people feeling shut out and disrespected.”

To sign the petition go to www.change.org/p/save-howard-street-car-park-nambour-deserves-better