A Response to Council’s 2022 Palm Cove Master Plan
During the consultation phase of the 2022 Palm Cove Streetscape and Landscape Master Plan, Cairns Regional Council conducted an online survey and engaged in face-to-face representations with residents and the Cairns tourism industry.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) convened meetings which included Councillors, Council Officers and Palm Cove core industry stakeholders. At one of the meetings, which included the current Council CEO, Deputy Mayor and Division 9 Councillor, the Case for Palm Cove Promenade was presented. There were also a number of one on one in person or zoom meets with our Division 9 Councillor and the Council Planners authoring the document.
It is known that TTNQ and others were extremely disappointed that none of their recommendations were included in the Plan, not even moving the buses off the Esplanade; let alone creating Palm Cove Promenade.
Here are a few issues raised by residents and the tourism industry and how the Palm Cove Streetscape and Landscape Master Plan addresses them:
The consistent theme underpinning the Council response has been “wishful thinking as a comfort blanket to avoid having to make hard choices” – Suella Braverman
(THIS PAGE IS STILL UPDATING)
Car Parking - How does the Master Plan address car parking?
Parking Issues
The word “Parking” appears in The Palm Cove Streetscape and Landscape Master Plan 20 times as follows:
- Expanding parking opportunities
- Providing additional disabled parking spaces in the Northern Activity Precinct
- Prioritise pedestrian safety over car parking
- Prioritise pedestrian safety over car parking (again)
- CAR PARKING
Parking within Palm Cove is provided through a mix of formal marked parking on Williams Esplanade and the northern car park, and informal unmarked parking on surrounding streets. During peak times such as Sundays and market days, parking spaces along Williams Esplanade and within the northern car park have consistently high occupancy. Substantial on-street parking within surrounding streets also occurs. However, throughout the rest of the week, formal parking spaces (including within the northern car park) are often under-utilised. In the case of the northern car park, this may be due to a lack of awareness of its existence. - Key opportunities:
• Improve accessibility of parking spaces especially for all-abilities access
• Improve wayfinding and connectivity for/to parking spaces
• Investigate reconfiguration of existing parking spaces to maximise parking opportunities
• Prioritise pedestrian safety and use of Williams Esplanade and foreshore over new parking spaces. - At several points along the foreshore shared path, the path terminates at car parking bays, resulting in pedestrians walking behind parked cars. At these points there are also spatial constraints between the beach and the roadway which do not allow for the retention of car parks and provision of a safe shared path.
- Redesign the road between Goldfinch Park, the Jetty and the end of Williams Esplanade. This includes relocating car parking from the roadway to the car park.
- Position playground in closer proximity to car parking for parents and families.
- Provide new, dedicated accessible car parking to improve access to the foreshore for residents and visitors with disability.
The Council Master Plan Solution
The response in the Master Plan is to reduce the amount of parking currently available by removing 16 car parking bays on the beach side. – “At several points along the foreshore shared path, the path terminates at car parking bays, resulting in pedestrians walking behind parked cars.” There are 76 car parking bays on the beach side of the Esplanade between Cedar Rd and Veivers Rd. 16 parking bays, or 21%, will need to be removed to satisfy this requirement.
Also, it seems that the parallel parking opposite the Caravan Park will be removed. There are 19 parking spaces there. If they go that will mean 35 spaces or 37%.
There are no plans for additional parking. The Master Plan solution is to “improve wayfinding and connectivity for/to parking spaces. In other words, install more signs to point to where the existing parking is.
Pedestrian and Cycle connectivity?
The Issue – Pedestrian and Cycle Connectivity
“Palm Cove lends itself to being a pedestrian and cycle friendly suburb. Future connections to Palm Cove – including the Wangetti Trail to the north and the Northern Beaches Leisure trail to the south – are likely to increase the number of pedestrian and cycle users.” – Master Plan Page 14
Council Master Plan Solution
As the Master Plan continues to support 2-way traffic along the Esplanade, the Council plan is to widen the pedestrian path on the beach side, “where possible”, so that bicycles, escooters and other mobility devices can share the path safely with pedestrians.
Initially the plan was to remove trees, where necessary, so that the path could be widened to 3 metres along the entire length of the beach. However it seems that it was subsequently considered that there would be too much opposition to that solution. So the proposal, as can be seen from the Master Plan drawing, is to only widen it “where possible”.
It would be useful to know what is expected when the path narrows. Is the thinking that non-pedestrians will dismount and walk their devices to the next wider 3 metre section or leave the path or just try to squeeze past. I think that we know the answer to that. So what is the point in disturbing that path through the trees to not solve the problem?
Sensible Solution
Remove cars, trucks and buses from the Esplanade roadway. Create lanes for pedal and battery powered devices along the existing roadway. Leave the existing path as it is and restrict its use to pedestrians only.
Maintaining the stability of the grassy and tree lined fringing zone between the high tide mark and the roadway is critical to mitigating the effects of erosion. Any disturbance is to be avoided. Also, this shady area is where couples and families lay out their picnic blankets. There isn’t a lot space now. Making the path wider and busier will interrupt the amenity of this zone for picnikers.
Don’t waste any money disturbing this zone.
Marketing Palm Cove. Does the Master Plan help.
The Issue – Marketing Palm Cove to Tourists
Over recent years (maybe 15+) Palm Cove has lost its way. There are many reasons for this and this will be addressed elsewhere on the website in some detail.
It is referenced here in the context of the Master Plan because there is nothing in the plan to improve the profile of the destination for accommodation properties, restaurants, shopping and activities. Product Development is critical to any marketing plan. Without Product Development you don’t have marketing. You only have sales and promotion.
Therefore in the absence of Product Development, like the creation of Palm Cove Promenade, Tourism Palm Cove (TPC) has reached for a different tagline as the solution. They came up with ‘Sophisticated Simplicity’. Apart from the wankiness (yes wankiness is in the dictionary), it does nothing to bind us to our Cairns community. Which tagline is going to encourage Cairns Regional Council Councillors and Ratepayers to fund Palm Cove development and attract more visitors to The Cove – Sophisticated Simplicity or Amazing Promenade?
There is nothing in the Palm Cove Master Plan to help with the marketing of Palm Cove. It’s a document that doesn’t seem to recognise that Palm Cove is more than just another Cairns suburb. It’s a national and international tourism destination.
Retain the views of Double Island and the Coral Sea
Not sure what this means. What is the possible threat to losing the existing views?
If anything the views need to be enhanced for people at ground level on the western side of the esplanade. This includes the diners at restaurants. Removing conventional vehicular traffic from the esplanade will improve these views.
The Master Plan is underpinned by a set of principles to guide future public space improvement projects.
The Master Plan is underpinned by a set of principles to guide future public space improvement projects. These guiding principles respond to the challenges and community aspirations identified throughout the Master Planning process. As a set of core values, they will guide all future changes and help to deliver on both Council and community aspirations for Palm Cove into the future.
Veivers Gateway Node
This is one of the worst things about the Council Master Plan – the Veivers Gateway Node. The place for a Palm Cove entry statement is up on the highway. But the planners were restricted to only working within the waterfront precinct. There is not even a street sign pointing to the main entry to Palm Cove from the south – being Palm Cove Boulevard. That is the place for an entry statement. This is what Leigh Ratcliffe had to say:
It comes back to a whole lot of identity issues too. We talked about this in the TTNQ meeting at The Reef House on 10 Feb 2022. I see Palm Cove as its own brand, as its own destination, but we are not promoted well for self-drive visitors. Apart from inclusion on the large sign in the rest area off the highway at Aeroglen, we don’t get a mention until the industry erected billboard at Palm Cove.
There should be a significant Palm Cove entry statement on the highway because I can’t tell you the number of people that I talk to who’ve been to Cairns and Port Douglas but who’ve never been into Palm Cove. I would say it’s 90%.. They see Trinity Beach, Clifton Beach etc but no Palm Cove.
And it’s only after a process of discovery, usually, on the way back to the airport stopping in for lunch, they say, “Wow. This is a great place. So there’s this, there’s got to be a whole lot of stuff worked out with main roads.
There’s a lot of stuff landscaping-wise to be done up on the highway, cleverly done without a lot of maintenance that can just signal to people that hey we just hit a special area. So there’s heaps of stuff to do. It’s not a staging thing. It’s not a half pregnant thing. That’s not gonna work. We’re either in or out. And if we’re out, well it’s opportunity lost.
Also, you can’t improve on the existing outstanding natural beauty of the Veivers Rd/Williams Esplanade corner. The first view of the sea framed by coconut palms, beach almonds and casuarinas with the elegant Alamanda entry on the right and the rustic timber furniture of Chill Cafe on the left not to mention the spectacular pandanus in the centre road planting.
This is just one of so many terrible concepts within this plan.
Toilet Blocks
Updating. Come back later.
