Minjerribah community to have their say on parking at Dunwich

Public consultation starts today, Monday 26 June 2023, in relation to parking at Dunwich and the One Mile ferry terminal on North Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah.

The Redland City Council-led consultation aims to address parking at Dunwich to relieve parking pressures in the area, to manage foreshore areas for the wider community and to protect the environment and cultural heritage.

“Council is aware that the availability of parking in Dunwich is an issue and that some people also are parking vehicles in areas of cultural significance,” Cr Williams said.

“In some cases, vehicles are being parked in public parking spaces for several weeks, which is affecting the area’s amenity and availability of parking.

“It is vital for the island community and visitors that parking is improved to create fairer access for all to parking spaces, to help preserve the natural beauty of the Dunwich foreshore, and to ensure important cultural heritage is protected.

“The Dunwich foreshore has many fragile environmental and cultural heritage values, and Council is committed to protecting this natural environment and heritage while providing efficient parking options.”

Cr Williams said Council would be seeking public submissions on a proposal for regulated parking across Dunwich and One Mile, and the community’s ideas for other suitable approaches to parking in this picturesque part of Redlands Coast.

Division 2 Councillor Peter Mitchell said while Dunwich was certainly blessed with a wonderful foreshore and much cultural heritage, there were few means to create additional parking.

“This is why Council is seeking the community’s ideas on what people would like to see for parking in the area,” Cr Mitchell said.

“Council also will be consulting the community on a proposed change to Subordinate Local Law 5 (Parking) 2015, part of which will introduce regulated, two-hour, off-street parking at Dunwich Cemetery.

“Parking in a local government cemetery for reasons other than visiting or maintaining a grave, memorial or interment site, or attending a funeral, is prohibited under Council’s local laws, but some commuters have been using the visitor parking at the cemetery as all-day parking.

“Out of respect for the sanctity of the cemetery and the many unmarked graves there, Council is proposing to introduce regulated parking in this culturally sensitive area.

“I urge the Minjerribah community to lodge a submission on parking at Dunwich and be part of the solution to the wider parking issues in this beautiful, coastal location.”

Redland City Council’s community consultation on parking at Dunwich and the One Mile ferry terminal, and the proposed local law change to parking at the cemetery, will open on Monday 26 June as an online portal with comprehensive information and facility for public submissions, plus opportunity to provide Council with hard copy submissions.