Have your say on Mooloolaba’s Central Meeting Place

Residents and visitors are encouraged to use Sunshine Coast Council’s Have Your Say community engagement platform to ensure their feedback on the Sunshine Coast’s largest beachfront parkland at Mooloolaba is included in future planning. 

The community can now have their say on two elements of the foreshore masterplan ahead of future works including addressing the Loo with a View, its aged state and accessibility issues.

As valued as it may be, the Loo with a View does not meet modern Universal Access (People with a Disability) requirements. It doesn’t provide equitable access for people with a disability, carers with prams or those using mobility devices.

A lick of paint and minor upgrades simply won’t achieve the access standards required.

Despite ongoing maintenance, recent independent engineering and access assessments have also revealed that the beach environment has caused extensive material corrosion, the decking is weathered, and the roof is deteriorating.

For these reasons, council is now seeking community feedback on what they value in Mooloolaba’s Central Meeting Place which encompasses the Loo with a View.

Sunshine Coast Council’s Principal for Urban Design Jamie Franklin said council had not yet determined the outcome for the Loo with a View and wouldn’t do so until community engagement was finalised.

“The feedback received through community engagement will assist council develop informed options for the Loo with a View to present back to the community for further input later in the year,” Mr Franklin said.

“When the time comes to make a decision, council will consider the cost to rebuild or refurbish to deliver the best community facility for everyone to enjoy.

“Convenient and accessible public amenities for our community form an important part of the Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation project. Both the Northern Parkland (Stage 1) and Central Meeting Place (Stage 2) include public amenities.”

Sunshine Coast Access Advisory Network president Trevor Rice said while the Loo with a View had been improved over the years, there was still plenty to be done.

“I find it interesting the Loo with a View was designed for tourism, but it doesn’t provide fair access for everyone – including those with a disability,” Mr Rice said.

Wheelchair user and fellow Sunshine Coast Access Advisory Network member Kay MacLean has not used the facility in the 17 years she has lived in the region.

“It’s an institution in Mooloolaba but unfortunately it has passed its date,” Ms MacLean said.

What elements of the Loo with a View don’t meet Universal Access (People with a Disability) requirements?

• The ramp gradient is too steep and not easily accessible for a person in a wheelchair.
• Surrounding decks, stairs and paths limit access for parents and carers with prams and those in wheelchairs and with mobility devices.
• There are no dedicated family change rooms or Changing Places facility.
• There are no unisex toilets.
• The balustrades and barriers do not comply to modern standards.
• The shortest disability compliant path to the toilets is more than 200 metres.

Regardless of whether the Loo with a View is refurbished or rebuilt, council must ensure any upgrades or new facilities are compliant with modern Universal Access (People with Disability Access) requirements. As such, the existing facility would require a significant redesign to ensure everyone in our community has access.

Council wants to incorporate an entirely inclusive ‘changing places’ design to offer a toilet space with a height-adjustable adult-sized change table, a ceiling track hoist system, a centrally located peninsula toilet, automatic doors, and a privacy screen - none of which are present in the current Loo with a View building.

The Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation provides an opportunity to deliver best practice, fully accessible public amenities that better serve our local community and prepare the region for the world stage in the lead-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Come down and speak with the Project Team this Saturday 23 April at the Mooloolaba Foreshore or have your say via the online survey at haveyoursay.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/mooloolaba-foreshore-2.

For details on the Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation or to subscribe to project updates visit sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/mfr.