A monitored four-day Easter parking trial at Lions Parks in Noosa Heads will gather critical evidence to guide future decisions about the role of the public space during peak visitor periods.
At Thursday's Ordinary Meeting, Council endorsed using Lions Park for overflow parking during Easter from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April 2026.
During the remainder of the two-week school holiday period, Lions Park will be closed to cars to be able to compare between the parking and non-parking period.
Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock said it's a chance to gather real-time data, better understand the congestion impacts and community benefits of providing the overflow parking.
"We've relied on overflow parking at Lions Park for many years but lacked comparative data to understand its true impact and make an informed long-term decision," he said.
"This four-day trial allows us to get the further facts we need - gather accurate, on the ground information and address the absence of comparative data by testing scenarios side-by-side."
With all Australian states sharing holiday periods this Easter, visitor numbers in Noosa are expected to surge. The trial will help understand how to best manage parking, safety, public transport reliability, and recreational space during these peak periods.
"We will use a range of on-site traffic surveys to understand congestion patterns, the performance of the road network in the precinct and user experience," he said.
Part of the trial includes pedestrian management improvements such as directional signage and temporary pedestrian barriers installed at key intersections to better separate car and pedestrian movements.
Outcomes of the trial will be included in the Go Noosa End of Year report in May this year.
Mr Sengstock said the findings would help determine a formal long term position on peak period parking at Lions Park.
"It's important that we make sure that the use of Lions Park for temporary parking provides sufficient community benefit, which is an outcome of the Destination Management Plan and Queensland's Land Act," Mr Sengstock said.
CEO Larry Sengstock discusses parking at Noosa Heads Lions Park over Easter:
CEO-Larry-Sengtsock-Easter-parking-at-Noosa-Heads-Lions-Park.mp3
