Parking concerns raise request for multi-level option linking Queen & Currie streets

Local Real Estate agent Toni Hinds says more parking in Nambour CBD will help the town thrive.

Parking emerged as a concern for one local resident and business owner at the Nambour Draft Planning Scheme Forum. 

Real estate agent Toni Hinds expressed concern about the proposed Nambour Place Plan (streetscaping project). “I’d like to address the parking issue in Nambour,” she said . “I believe that the proposal for the new town centre is going to take out, I think it’s around about eight car parks from Mill Street onwards, for the entertainment precinct. I’d like to know where council intends on putting eight other car parks that they take away,” she asked.

Ms Hinds emphasised that parking availability was “one of the biggest issues in Nambour when it comes to commercial business,” noting that the town used to thrive when it had plenty of parking but that now convenient parking was limited.

Ms Hinds said historical parking reductions had negatively impacted local businesses: “Parking was taken out where the square now is downtown where a lot of the people now converge during the day. That was all parking and that was taken out years ago and I know a lot of businesses closed when that happened.”

Ms Hinds proposed that council purchase a car parking area behind one of the old buildings in Queen Street and make it multi-level.  This would allow people to access Currie Street and address accessibility concerns for elderly residents, mothers with prams and people with disabilities. 

“I believe if there was more accessible parking, linking to Currie Street, people would be more willing to lease the buildings for their businesses,” she said.

CEO John Baker said the scale of required infrastructure across the whole Coast was daunting. “The scheme increases industrial land by 18% and must accommodate parking algorithms for every new development,” he said adding that, in any planning application, parking was one of the very first things that is considered.

Local shopkeeper Deb Lawson reignited the long-term local issue in 2022 by starting a survey which attracted 1000 signatures but was largely ignored by Council.

A local developer recently pointed out that existing commercial blocks in town with large lettable areas provided negligible on-site parking. 

“On my block there is 5800 sqm of commercial property for lease and there are currently only about 26 car parks,” he said. “But if this was built today the predominately-retail shops would require one car park per 20sqm – or 290 car parks.

“Even at the less onerous one-car-park-per-50sqm rate, 116 car parks would be required for this much commercial. That’s 90 more than all of us on this block currently have. There’s a terrible disincentive to do anything with the block. I’m better off leaving it as is. And that doesn’t help anyone.”