‘Park Beach to Cafes’ Community Collaboration Project
The Southern Beaches holds a special place in the hearts of many in our community.
However, our community is growing quickly as are the numbers of visitors to our stunning beaches each year. This increased activity (particularly during hot days), is placing great strain on our local facilities, especially relating to parking and road safety.
Recently, Council staff, café owners, and a few community members met up and initiated a ‘Park Beach to Cafes Community Collaboration Project.’ While the primary goal is to enhance safety and accessibility for all users between the café locations, Payeena Reserve and Park Beach, this Project is about our community coming together to brainstorm and innovate ideas.
Community consultation update – 7 June 2024
A huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to voice your views and ideas to shape what’s needed to ensure this beautiful area is a safe, connected, and inclusive community hub. During April and May, people got involved through:
- Completing a Survey – 12 April to 30 May 2024
- Visiting Sorell staff at Pop up chats – Park Beach Café and Beach Bums Café on 1, 7 and 18 May 2024
- Attending Community Workshops – Two sessions held 29 May 2024
- Writing to us directly or sending a postcard!
The Community Workshops held on 29 May had 38 participants attend over two sessions. The survey results were presented with a highlight being of the 369 survey responses, 303 identified as ‘living locally’ plus there was great representation across a diverse age range. The presentation is available to view below:
Park Beach to Cafes Summary of Consultation Presentation 29 May 2024.pdf
Summary of community feedback
Feedback received generally fell into three main key themes (or areas of focus) that could help achieve the Project’s objective. Each theme had a corresponding list of ideas or suggestions that were mentioned with a frequency of 3 or more times throughout the entire engagement process.*
*Noting this excludes references to matters or concerns related to compliance.
Key themes
Transport (incorporating safety, speed reduction, traffic calming and signage) (PINK)
- Install speed humps / traffic calming
- Reduce speed on Carlton Beach Road and side roads
- Improve/increase signage (e.g. alternative parking options, speed limit painted on road)
- Protective railing between road and footpath
- On-street parking improvement (road reserves)
- Bus stop relocation & bus shelter revamp
- Improve pedestrian crossings
- Introduce Park and ride (summer)
- Footpath/verge safety
- Wheel stops along swale in Payeena Street
- Safety for cyclists
- Formalise parking next to Payeena Reserve (angle parking)
- Meter existing parking
- Review direction/flow of traffic into Payeena Street
Natural values (beaches, coastal/dune care and Reserves) (GREEN)
- Retain integrity of Payeena Reserve but upgrade to include more seating and Interpretation signage – e.g indigenous, species and place based stories)
- Places for nature play space for kids inc aboriginal knowledge
- Consider stormwater/swales (consideration of hard surfaces)
- Focus on caring for dunes / foreshore
- Ban dogs from beach
- Improve access walkways (between streets and onto foreshore)
- Fix fencing of Payeena Reserve
Connected and safe spaces (improving accessibility, signage and amenities) (ORANGE)
- Install bike racks
- Review/improve walkways and footpaths (pram friendly)
- Cycleway options
- Signage to educate on alternate parking areas (QR codes)
- Education on different access paths/tracks that connect beach, parking and cafés
- BBQ areas – more seating (beyond cafes)
- Viewing platforms (wheelchair accessible)
- Improve toilets and offer beach showers
- Borrowing bin for surfboards
- Increase shade options
- Public art options
- Play equipment or community activity for older kids
- Dedicated dog exercise area
- Food vans/street stage (summer)
Community workshop outcomes
After the survey presentation, participants undertook two activities aimed at moving ideas into actions based on themes summarised from community’s feedback.
Activity 1: Using coloured dots that matched each theme, participants indicated on the corresponding map areas where ideas and suggestions were best applied.
You can see from the maps how much each theme and associated action was valued!
Activity 2: To assign ideas and suggestions into ‘buckets’ of action, based on the criteria of:
- Simple actions (let’s do it now!)
- Actions that need collaborative partners (e.g. DSG Roads or Crown Land)
- Great ideas to plan and budget for
- Great ideas, but not right for our community
| 1. Simple actions (let’s do it now!) | Linked to | Action No. |
| Signage to improve parking (e.g. stop people parking on curbs, blocking access & area has shared users in Reninna & Payeena Sts)Don’t relocate bus stop or revamp | PINK | 3 |
| Wheel stops and/or bollards in Payeena (keep access ways clear) | PINK | 10 |
| Review traffic directional flow into Payeena (including widening and entrance review) | PINK | 14 |
| Bike racks | ORANGE | 1 |
| Signage (at shop plus other locations) to cover: beaches, parking options/limits), surfing, toilets, dog walking areas, beach entry points etc (include QR code) | ORANGE | 5 |
| Increase seating and shade (opposite cafes and at Park beach) | ORANGE | 6 |
| Keep Payeena Reserve as is (but more seating and interpretive signage) | GREEN | 1 |
| Nature play areas to be identified | GREEN | 2 |
| Maintain permeable surfaces (stormwater run-off captured into reserve) | GREEN | 3 |
| Widen and repair/maintain existing beach access tracks with better / clearer signage | GREEN | 6 |
| Review footpath / verge safety (fencing repairs and more protective railing) | GREEN | 7 |
| 2. Great ideas, but need collaboration with partners (e.g. DSG Roads, Crown Land) | Linked to | Action No. |
| Speed humps and/or traffic calming | PINK | 1 |
| Reduce speed limit (specifically Carlton Beach Road and side roads) | PINK | 2 |
| Paint speed limit on road | PINK | 3 |
| Improve/increase pedestrian access points for safety (e.g Make zebra crossing or review options at Red Ochre or Parnella St) | PINK | 7 |
| Keep walkways natural, but have formal sidewalks | PINK | 9 |
| Contemporise Visitor Information signage prior to Dodges Ferry (prior to Rantons Road turnoff) | ORANGE | 5 |
| Interpretive signage for Payeena Reserve (QR code) | GREEN | 1 |
| Consider whole stormwater catchment, keep parking area permeable | GREEN | 3 |
| Review Foreshore Access Strategy 2002 with Council, Crown and Community (coastal care) | GREEN | 4 |
| Nature play areas for kids | GREEN | 2 |
| Close some beaches to dogs, e.g. Red Ochre and Blue Lagoon | GREEN | 5 |
| Improve pathway access – Lateena Street to Payeena Street Sections | GREEN | 6 |
| Refresh coloured dune markers and ‘keep off sand dunes’ signage + remove dangerous rusted fencing (Crown Land lease/licence) | GREEN | 4 |
| 3. Great ideas to plan and budget for | Linked to | Action No. |
| Speed humps on Carlton Beach Road, Moomere St and Carlton River end | PINK | 1 |
| Improve Bus stop shelter (e.g. architecturally designed) | PINK | 6 |
| Footpath on café side of Payeena St | PINK | 9 |
| Wheel stops along swale at Payeena St | PINK | 10 |
| Review traffic flow into Payeena St | PINK | 14 |
| Need for cycle path network / improve safety for cyclists | ORANGE | 1 |
| Track/access pathway maintenance to Beach | ORANGE | 2 |
| Community designed signage | ORANGE | 5 |
| More BBQ areas | ORANGE | 6 |
| Viewing platforms | ORANGE | 7 |
| Improve toilet facilities at both Carlton & Park Beach (e.g. Kingston Beach) | ORANGE | 8 |
| Increase shade options | ORANGE | 10 |
| Play equipment for older kids at Snake Hollow | ORANGE | 12 |
| Street stage | ORANGE | 14 |
| 4. Great idea, but not for our community | Linked to | Action No. |
| Don’t relocate bus stop or revamp | PINK | 6 |
| No park and ride | PINK | 8 |
| No metered parking | PINK | 13 |
| No more BBQ areas required | ORANGE | 6 |
| No additional viewing platforms | ORANGE | 7 |
| No beach showers (wasteful use of drinking water) | ORANGE | 8 |
| No borrowing bin for surfboards | ORANGE | 9 |
| No extra shade (bring your own) | ORANGE | 10 |
| No need for play areas/equipment for older kids (go to the beach) | ORANGE | 12 |
| No food vans | ORANGE | 14 |
| No banning dogs from beaches | GREEN | 5 |
Council values the passion, knowledge and diversity of views expressed by community members since this Project commenced.
The combination of all feedback and activities undertaken in the workshops will be used to prepare a report in support of the next stage. It is important to recognise some ideas sit in both a ‘supported’ and ‘unsupported’ category which is understandable given our community’s diversity. Where this has happened, Council is committed to engaging further to inform what (if any) additional action is required.
NEXT STEPS
Council invites community to send feedback on the outcomes from the Workshop by 20 June 2024. You can email us at: sorell.council@sorell.tas.gov.au
After this date, Council will prepare a report based on our community’s priorities and prepare recommendations for potential concept designs, costings (where feasible) and future consultation requirements.
An update on progress will be shared via our E-News (sign up here), on our website and on our social media channels.
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Image below shows the general area of focus under the project. This is for illustrative purposes only.
