Attachment F - Carparking Evaluation & review

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The study noted the following:
          “Observed parking demand…suggests that carparking within the Cooroy study area
          is currently underutilized, with a carparking utilisation rate of 59%. This is within the
          range of the observation survey utilization (55% - 82%) but lower than the average
          observation survey utilization at 71%. This indicates that existing parking supply
          generally has capacity to cater for additional on-street parking demands.”
                                                   - MRCagney Report, March 2018, Page 13
The report does note the increase in weekend markets adds some pressure to existing parking due to
temporary spikes in numbers. However, projected future increase in requirements for carparking up to 2031
can be absorbed by existing supply.


2. A review of car parking provided by similar-scale playground developments recently delivered by
   local governments and the private sector
Council initially contacted the following local governments, who have recently constructed playgrounds of a
similar nature to the proposed Hinterland Adventure Playground:

      Gympie Regional Council
      Sunshine Coast Regional Council
      Gold Coast City Council
      Townsville City Council
Key personnel involved in the developments were interviewed. Common themes emerged around the
following:
   1. Popular playgrounds attracted visitors from outside the region and in some cases, additional
      carparks were built after opening as patron numbers were under-estimated (eg: Lake Alford park in
      Monkland, Gympie – further discussion is given on this below)
   2. Parks established in existing urban areas had few additional car parks added, relying instead on
      existing street parking available or local alternatives (eg: retail districts; public transport stops)
   3. When additional car parking was built it offered capacity to suit not just the playground but adjacent
      infrastructure, especially when the playground was built in open spaces (eg: Lake Alford park in
      Gympie, a pre-existing parkland space) or was included as part of a master-planned multi-use
      recreational space (eg: Skippy Park in Landsborough; South Ripley development). This made it
      difficult to ascertain car parking numbers associated with the playgrounds alone
   4. None of the Councils could offer specific data on car parking numbers and movements.
Council also physically inspected a number of public and private playground developments in Southeast
Queensland including:

      Forest Green playground, Pimpama (Gainsborough Green development by Mirvac)
      The Heights park, Pimpama (The Heights land development by Sunland)
      Splash ‘n’ Play playground, South Ripley (Providence Estate development by Simonds)
      Bob Gamble park, Ipswich (Ipswich City Council and State Government)
      Hidden World playground, Fitzgibbon (Brisbane City Council)
      Skippy Park, Landsborough (Sunshine Coast Regional Council)
      Burnett Park and Bicycle Park, Caloundra South (Aura land development by Stockland)
      Brightwater Park, Brightwater (Brightwater land development by Stockland)
      Frew Park, Milton (Brisbane City Council)
      Rocks Riverside Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks (Brisbane City Council)
      South Bank and Roma Street Parkland playgrounds (South Bank Corporation and State
       Government, managed by Brisbane City Council).


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Aerial mapping and photography of each of the playgrounds were reviewed to provide context on car
parking placement within the developments. Council summarized carparking numbers for key playgrounds
in the attached document, “Hinterland Playground Carparking Numbers”.
It was noted that few dedicated parking spaces were provided in private developments, unless additional
attractions were adjacent (eg: a Community Centre and café next to the park in South Ripley). Playgrounds
delivered by local government, such as those in Gympie, Milton, Fitzgibbon and Landsborough, had some
dedicated off-street car parking provided; but again these developments delivered more than just
playgrounds, and incorporated related spaces such as dog parks (Fitzgibbon), sporting facilities
(Landsborough and Milton) or other recreational uses (Gympie – cultural and historical areas specifically).
Given the regional context and similarities between playground designs, Council elected to adopt the Lake
Alford playground in Gympie as a benchmark for deriving car park numbers. The Gympie Council initially
built 30 spaces specifically for the playground opening, but quickly added another 30 - providing 60 spaces
in total - due to unanticipated popularity of the development.


3. A service-level review of likely maximum attendance numbers at the site, allowing a derivation of
   possible maximum car parking needed as a result.

Form Landscape Architects (FLA), the consultant used by Council to masterplan and design the Hinterland
Adventure Playground, developed a capacity review based on maximum patronage that can be
accommodated at the site. The methodology involves a calculation based on the maximum number of
children and adults that can be comfortably accommodated at the site until such time as capacity is
reached and additional visitors are discouraged from attending. From here the numbers are re-calibrated to
equate to the number of cars that could deliver this level of patronage, with a subsequent allocation of car
parking numbers made. FLA relied on their experience with recent playground design and attendance to
derive the likely patronage numbers and car use.
Whilst this offers a unique, ‘high-level’ approach to analyzing car parking numbers, it effectively provides a
rationalized, service-level review of the playground in isolation of the existing car parking offered already in
the town, and as such derives a form of benchmark for deriving the ‘ideal’ car parking numbers needed
when the playground is at maximum capacity.
Refer to the analysis which is attached. FLA concluded that up to 176 adults and 236 children could be
accommodated at the playground. Using appropriate factors for vehicle occupancy, this equates to
approximately 117 carparks for adults and 124 carparks for children.
Due to existing parking, available overflow parking and staggered peak demand for parking, it is considered
impractical to provide parking to cater for the full peak demand. As such, it is anticipated that 60 parks will
cater for parking demand 90% of the time. This is based on reduced demand on school days or during
inclement weather, seasonal fluctuations with tourism numbers and natural variability in visitations from
locals following the initial opening. In addition, the centralized location of the site adjacent to the Cooroy
CBD and Library is within walking distance of public transport stops and local residents as well as the
Cooroy and Noosa District Schools.
FLA then provided a comparative carpark analysis between the Hinterland Adventure Playground and a
selection of similar playgrounds, including some noted above, as well as the Ken Fletcher Park in
Tennyson, Northshore Riverside Park in Hamilton and Walton Bridge Park at The Gap (all developed by
Brisbane City Council). Results are in the attached report. It is shown that the Hinterland Adventure
Playground project offers carparking supply well in excess of the playgrounds surveyed.
In striking a balance between the “ideal” number and what is already available, Council concluded that
approximately 60 new carparks would provide the most practical and appropriate number of spaces for the
proposed development.



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4. Availability of Council-owned or controlled land for car parking use adjacent to or near the
   proposed playground site
Council identified three portions of land in the immediate vicinity of the playground site that could be re-
purposed to provide additional car parking:

      Mary River Road: road reserve corridor between Apex Park, Cooroy Creek bridge and the site;
      Lower Mill area: mixture of existing formed, unformed and ‘unofficial’ overflow car parking areas,
       currently servicing the Old Mill historical precinct and the adjacent industrial estate; and
      Existing Marara Street carparks and Council driveway at Cooroy Library: existing carparks adjacent
       to the site and the Library, along with a service driveway used for parking the Mobile Library truck
       and deliveries - some existing staff car parks are present here.

The Mary River Road corridor offers a suitable location for providing additional car parking as well as local
pathway and street crossing improvements for pedestrians. It does not require planning approval and
Council has designed for 12 additional spaces in this area, adjacent to Apex Park.

The Lower Mill area has extensive space available for a large number of car parks, with access to the site
via the existing Cooroy Creek causeway or the bridge at Mary River Road. Much of this space is already
used for ‘unofficial’ overflow parking, which notionally offers an additional 89 carparks in the raised area
(refer Form LA report). However, Council has elected to develop up to 42 carparks, with pathway upgrades,
in existing street and gravel track areas previously designated for parking. This area is impact-assessable
and is the subject of a separate, related DA.

Refer to the Form LA report and Noosa Council carparking design drawings for further information
(attached).

The existing spaces at Marara Street are currently used for patron and staff car parking for the Library, and
no additional space is available for constructing new car parks. Instead Council propose to re-purpose
three standard parks into two, new DDA-compliant spaces directly adjacent to the proposed main entrance
to the playground, and provide additional staff spaces in the driveway area. With the planned retirement of
the existing Mobile Library truck in mid-2020, to be replaced by a much smaller vehicle that requires less
maneuverability when accessing this area, the space becomes available for providing additional parking for
staff. Council have designed for four (4) existing parallel parks to be replaced with ten (10) angle-in parks.
This has been discussed with Library staff who have indicated their support.

Conclusions:

      Cooroy has adequate car parks presently in the CBD
      Mixed-use developments that incorporated playground elements had a greater chance of having
       additional car parking provided by the developer. Otherwise, existing local car parks were generally
       utilized only, especially in urban areas where available space for new car parks is less present. Only
       one playground was identified (Lake Alford in Gympie) that came closest to allowing a comparison
       within a regional context
      A service-level review concluded that a maximum of 117 carparks would provide full capacity for the
       playground; however this assumes the playground in isolation and without consideration of existing
       carparking, public transport and walking infrastructure
      Given all of the above, up to 64 carparks were derived as appropriate for servicing the playground
       site
      Available Council-controlled space allows several options for developing additional carparking
       spaces, along with offering local pathway and pedestrian safety improvements.
Based on the analysis undertaken Council concluded that the following should be provided to support the
Hinterland Adventure Playground and relieve pressure on surrounding businesses and infrastructure:


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      Construct 12 new car parks at Mary River Road, along with pathway upgrades and a new raised
       pedestrian crossing
      Construct 52 additional car parks at the Lower Mill area, including connecting pathway upgrades
      Re-purpose 3 existing carparks at Marara Street next to the proposed main entrance to the
       playground into two DDA-compliant spaces
      Provide additional staff car parking in the existing Library driveway area, following the
       decommissioning of the Mobile Library truck.




Attachments:

   1. Noosa Parking Study by MRCagney, Issue 1, March 2018
   2. Hinterland Playground Carparking Numbers by Noosa Council, Version 1.0, January 2020




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