COVID-19 restrictions have eased for beachgoers as Tweed Shire Council voted unanimously last night to reopen most of its beach carparks.
Council say that the only exception is the road closure at Letitia Road, Fingal Head, which will remain in place until and including 30 June 2020.
The carparks at Tweed Heads (including Duranbah Beach and Jack Evans Boat Harbour), Kingscliff, Cabarita Beach, Hastings Point, Hastings Point Headland and Pottsville will be open to the public as soon as arrangements for the removal of barriers can be made.
The Local Traffic Committee, an advisory group made up of councillors, police, Transport for NSW representatives and State Members of Parliament, previously supported carpark closures up to 30 June 2020 if Council felt it necessary. Last night councillors voted to open the carparks in line with the gradual lifting of restrictions across the nation. If considered necessary, the closures could be reinstated.
Council had closed its beach carparks ahead of Easter for fear the Easter break would result in an influx of visitors and a breach of travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines leading to the possible further spread of the coronavirus.
Milne: carpark closures were necessary
Mayor Katie Milne said the carpark closures were necessary at the time as the Gold Coast had closed all their beachside carparks as well as their main beaches over the holiday period, which extended into the Queensland Labour Day public holiday on Monday 4 May 2020.
‘We understand this caused concern for many beachside residents but it was untenable to have large numbers of Gold Coast residents descending on mass on to the Tweed beaches during the holidays,’ said Councillor Milne.
‘There was no perfect solution but we felt it was important to take a precautionary approach and we thank the community for its patience and understanding during this time.’
At an extraordinary meeting of Council on Friday 24 April, Council resolved to open 30 carpark spaces in the off-street carpark adjacent to Lions Park south of the Cudgen Surf Lifesaving Club. These spaces were placed on a two-hour parking limit to cater for customers of the nearby flu clinic and medical facilities.
For information on Council’s response to COVID-19, visit www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/coronavirus.
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