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.

Update – September 2024

After our highly engaging community workshops in June, we’ve been busy behind the scenes bringing various teams together to assess, evaluate and prioritise which of our community’s ideas can be brought to life based on a staged approach within current budget allocation.  At this stage, our focus has been on progressing:

  • Signage review and redevelopment: We know it’s important not to ‘over sign’ the area, but we are reviewing what’s in place and looking at what can either be enhanced or have new signage created that meet compliance.
  • Bike racks: We are initially looking at two areas (based on community views) and investigating racks with footings designed to reduce land impact.  Once we have details on location and type of rack system, we’ll share this with the community for input.
  • Keeping Payeena Reserve’s integrity (recognised in the Draft Reserve Management Plan (www.sorell.tas.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Draft-RMP-Payeena-Full-Version.pdf): The additional ideas from the workshop will be explored in partnership with Southern Beaches Landcare Coastcare (SBLC).
  • Traffic Calming Measures:  In partnership with Department of State Growth (Roads), we are working to assess what (if any) traffic calming/speed humps could be placed along Carlton Beach Road that meet compliance. Our roads infrastructure team is also in discussion on seeking overarching speed reduction in two key locations, starting from the Lewisham turnoff on Old Forcett Road to the Dodges Ferry school and extending along Carlton Beach Road.

A priority task that has arisen is the need for works at the Payeena Street / Talenteena Street intersection to address safety issues due to the roadway washing away.  In the coming weeks (once weather improves!) our crews will do an interim fix by compacting the rut with maintenance grade filling. However as this will not last, a more permanent solution will be planned that enables stormwater to still funnel into the reserve and be dispersed appropriately. Planning for this work will include liaising with our partners, SBLC.

More details will be shared on this page once budget and resource costings are worked through to inform what will be required to address the short, medium and long term stages community would like to see happen in this area, and how you can continue to participate.

Updates on progress will be shared via our E-News (sign up here), on our website and on our social media channels.

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 FINAL WEBSITE

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)

  1. Install speed humps / traffic calming
  2. Reduce speed on Carlton Beach Road and side roads
  3. Improve/increase signage (e.g. alternative parking options, speed limit painted on road)
  4. Protective railing between road and footpath
  5. On-street parking improvement (road reserves)
  6. Bus stop relocation & bus shelter revamp
  7. Improve pedestrian crossings
  8. Introduce Park and ride (summer)
  9. Footpath/verge safety
  10. Wheel stops along swale in Payeena Street
  11. Safety for cyclists
  12. Formalise parking next to Payeena Reserve (angle parking)
  13. Meter existing parking
  14. Review direction/flow of traffic into Payeena Street

Natural values (beaches, coastal/dune care and Reserves) (GREEN)

  1. Retain integrity of Payeena Reserve but upgrade to include more seating and Interpretation signage – e.g indigenous, species and place based stories)
  2. Places for nature play space for kids inc aboriginal knowledge
  3. Consider stormwater/swales (consideration of hard surfaces)
  4. Focus on caring for dunes / foreshore
  5. Ban dogs from beach
  6. Improve access walkways (between streets and onto foreshore)
  7. Fix fencing of Payeena Reserve

Connected and safe spaces (improving accessibility, signage and amenities) (ORANGE)

  1. Install bike racks
  2. Review/improve walkways and footpaths (pram friendly)
  3. Cycleway options
  4. Signage to educate on alternate parking areas (QR codes)
  5. Education on different access paths/tracks that connect beach, parking and cafés
  6. BBQ areas – more seating (beyond cafes)
  7. Viewing platforms (wheelchair accessible)
  8. Improve toilets and offer beach showers
  9. Borrowing bin for surfboards
  10. Increase shade options
  11. Public art options
  12. Play equipment or community activity for older kids
  13. Dedicated dog exercise area
  14. 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:

  1. Simple actions (let’s do it now!)
  2. Actions that need collaborative partners (e.g. DSG Roads or Crown Land)
  3. Great ideas to plan and budget for
  4. 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.

Updates on progress will be shared via our E-News (sign up here), on our website and on our social media channels.