Randwick City Council opens public consultation about parking near beaches: ''To pay or not to pay?''
Friday, March 6, 2026
On Wednesday, Randwick City Council, a municipality on the east coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, opened a public consultation period focused on introducing parking fees at beaches within the Randwick area. The consultation, affecting up to thousands of beachgoers in peak hours on hot summer weekends, is set to close on April 15.
The council mailed the consultation paper version to all residents, and added to Randwick's "Have Your Say" portal with an online form and a note that feedback may also be provided on phone and in person.
The Council noted the beaches received a lot of non-local traffic, allegedly reaching 84% at certain beaches, according to mobile phone data collected by Veitch Lister Consulting (VLC), a United Kingdom and Australian firm. The revenue from paid parking would help towards beaches cleaning, maintenance, and improving the quality of amenities, the Council wrote on the public consultation page. The Council estimated implementing the proposal would require A$3.6 million expenditure, and would generate yearly A$6 million revenue.
Randwick includes the Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra, Malabar, Little Bay (Malabar Beach), La Perouse (Frenchmans Bay) and Yarra Bay areas. If the proposal was approved, the new signage and parking meters would be installed in late 2026 and 2027.
A Wikinews contributor visited the area, noting previously the parking was time limited but predominantly free, with selected sections requiring payment. Parking at Arden St. was not paid, while parking at Coogee Oval or near Coogee Pavillion required a fee during the period 2003 - 2016. Meanwhile, parking near Manly and Bondi, beaches outside of the Randwick area, required a fee in many spots and streets immediately adjacent to the beach, as of 2026. Near Manly, a multi-level paid car park was available in a nearby shopping center.
Sources
[edit]- Information Booklet — Randwick City Council, March 6, 2026 (PDF)
- Beach visitor pay parking — Your Say Randwick, March 6, 2026
- Freddy Powle. Free parking at popular Sydney beaches under threat as Randwick City Council proposes paid access — 7NEWS, March 5, 2026