Attachment F - Carparking Evaluation & review

Hinterland Adventure Playground
Carparking Evaluation and Comparison Review

Aim:
To select the number of additional carparks Noosa Council should provide due to increased patronage in
the Cooroy CBD following the construction of the Hinterland Adventure Playground.
Background:
When Council announced the all-abilities, nature-based Hinterland Adventure Playground project it became
apparent that an analysis would be needed on potential impacts from visitors on the township of Cooroy.
Car parking emerged as a key element of focus, given one of the stated aims for the playground was to
attract visitors to the town.

However it has proved challenging to gain detailed information on the extent of car parking, inclusive of
DDA-compliant parks, that should be provided, primarily due to the following:

      A review of Australian Standards and the National Construction Code provides little practical
       guidance on specific car parking solutions related to playground spaces, disabled or otherwise
      Further to this, AS/NZS 2890.6:2009 Parking facilities – Part 6: Off-street parking for people with
       disabilities only provides guidance on recommended car park numbers for this purpose in New
       Zealand.
      Playground developments of this type and size have been more recently delivered as part of either
       private land developments or local government initiatives, and have ben bespoke in nature in terms
       of design, location, etc.

In the absence of a direct source of information for guidance, Council elected to approach the issue by
looking at a number of inter-related areas.

Methodology:
The methods adopted for analyzing car parking needs are as follows:

   1. A review of the current car parking levels in Cooroy town and projected future needs, without the
      playground, to set a benchmark. Staff at Cooroy Library were also consulted about the potential
      impact of playground visitors on existing staff car parking availability and numbers;
   2. A review of car parking provided by similar-scale playground developments recently delivered by
      local governments and the private sector;
   3. A service-level review of maximum attendance numbers at the site, allowing a derivation of possible
      maximum car parking needed as a result
   4. Availability for car parking use of Council-owned/controlled, undeveloped land adjacent to or near
      the proposed site.

1. A review of the current car parking levels in Cooroy town and projected future needs, without the
   playground
Attached is a report (“Noosa Parking Study”) by MRCagney Pty Ltd, published in March 2018, to assess
current and future parking needs in Noosa Shire. It notes that the Cooroy CBD currently has adequate car
parking spaces available and this is expected to remain the case into the future.
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