‘No logic’ in plan to sell off carpark
THE council is selling the Bruce Bishop car park when its own master plan shows Surfers Paradise continues to suffer from the stigma that there are not enough parks.
Business operators were invited last month to a council workshop where officers outlined the Surfers Paradise core business precinct master plan and parking concerns.
A key part of the briefing was “local public perception”. Apart from fears about a high crime level, the biggest negative facing the tourism heart was the perception “there is no car parking”.
But business operators were told the reality was quite different, with 670 on-street parks and 4477 off-street parks.
The Safe Surfers Paradise group, which has launched court action against the council to save the Bruce Bishop car park and made a complaint to the Crime and Corruption Commission, questions the council’s logic to sell the public asset.
Save SP secretary Deborah Kelly told the Bulletin: “In the area covered by survey, there is a total 5147 car spaces, of which 2539 are in public parks.
“Consider the impact of getting rid of 1640 at BBCP. As the council also wants to sell Cypress Avenue, that will be another 240 gone.
“We have a workshop going on with council planners to say one of the real strengths of the area is 24-hour public parking to overcome the negative issues relating to parking.”
An economic baseline analysis prepared by the council also reveals at least 28 per cent vacant space, with business in Surfers Paradise able to expand by 30 per cent before new commercial dwellings are needed.
The vacancy rate is 30 per cent in retail tenancies, 29 per cent in office and 24 per cent in speciality stores.
Ms Kelly said the report showed 16 per cent of all tenancies turned over in an 18month period, which was “extraordinarily high”.
A Bulletin report yesterday involving interviews with businesses showed the sale of the Stay informed with the latest global and national news with The Daily Telegraph, fuel your AFL fire with the Herald Sun’s expert sports journalism, and keep up-to-date on Queensland’s news agenda with The Courier-Mail. car park was creating economic chaos, with many unsure whether to renew their leases.
Businesses like hair salons require their clients to stay for up to three hours and many will not secure affordable parking after the Bruce Bishop car park is sold.
“How can the Mayor (Tom Tate) justify his comments that the sale decision is sound? The councillors were not informed of the above facts when they
voted,” Ms Kelly said. “They should have been. The officer’s report was pathetically deficient. There was no economic analysis at all.
“Why does the council waste ratepayer money on a room full of planners? There are about six working in the master planning project. They are making the negative perception that ‘there is no car parking Surfers Paradise’ a reality. It doesn’t make sense.”