Pay to play in Brunswick Heads

BYRON Shire residents who plan to visit Brunswick Heads are being encouraged to go online and apply for free parking permits before pay parking kicks off in the coastal town on Monday, September 30.

Two free Shire Resident Parking Permits, which used to cost $55 a year, are available to households to help with the introduction of pay parking in central Brunswick Heads and South Beach Road.

Byron Shire Council’s infrastructure services acting director Malcolm Robertson said it was hoped the change would make parking availability more equitable.

“We need to ensure that there’s turnover of the parking spaces, so more people get an opportunity to visit businesses in Brunswick Heads or go to the beach,” he said.

Mr Robertson said the reaction to the introduction of pay parking in Brunswick Heads had been mixed.

“Obviously some people in the community are supportive of pay parking and see the benefits and some are deadset against it,” he said.

The Brunswick Heads pay parking zone includes the central village and commercial area from Tweed Street to the river and extends to Fawcett Street and Mona Lane in the north and Fingal Street in the south.

It also includes South Beach Road, where Brunswick Surf Lifesaving Club is, and the Torakina Beach area.

People who aren’t eligible for a residents’ parking permit can pay for parking via newly installed cash meters, Pay by Plate cashless parking meters and phone apps.

The cost of parking in a metered parking space in the Shire is $5 an hour, capped at $25 a day.

Residents who bought a parking permit in the last year can continue to use them until they expire.

Households needing more than two permits can buy extra permits online for $55, if eligible.

For more information or to apply for a permit, visit www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Bruns-pay-parking