Sunshine Coast Council is undertaking early planning for improvements to John Hotton Park, Warana. We have developed the John Hotton Draft Landscape Plan and invite our community to provide feedback on the plan by completing the online survey.

The draft landscape plan was developed based on community feedback from a survey conducted on Council’s Have Your Say website in March and April 2023.

The draft landscape plan proposes improvements to the park. The key features include:

• A central meeting area with a new shelter (with lighting), relocated barbecue, and long table
• An upgraded playground featuring natural play spaces, a group swing, sandstone seating, and shade sails
• An open grassed area for informal recreation
• Retention of all mature trees
• Additional native tree planting for shade and screening neighboring properties
• A new entry path for disability access compliance and improved circulation
• An additional picnic table in the shaded area

Beach Shelter

We have prepared three options for a future beach shelter (see below plan).

Each option is wheelchair accessible and features a roofed shelter, furniture, and bicycle parking. Have your say on the shelter location by completing the online survey.

While improvements are not yet part of Council’s 10-year Capital Works Program for construction, community feedback will help prioritise the upgrades and seek potential future grant applications and funding opportunities.

In March and April 2023, we conducted an online survey on the Have Your Say website. The survey aimed to understand what our community likes and dislikes about the park and what improvements you would like to see. The survey received 109 responses and the feedback guided the design of the draft landscape plan for John Hotton Park. Four main themes emerged from the feedback:

1. Improvements to the layout and function of the park including the playground, grass area, beach shelter, pathways, and furniture.
2. Improvements to the comfort for park users including more shade, more seating, more trees, and more covered areas.
3. Improvements to the safety of the park including better lighting, a pedestrian crossing, and a barrier between the playground and the road.
4. Ensure the park retains its natural coastal character.

Review the Community Survey Feedback Summary.

Community feedback also included changing the current speed hump on Oceanic Drive to a pedestrian crossing to facilitate better access to the park. We will investigate the feasibility of changing the existing speed hump as a separate design process to the current concept plan which focuses on upgrades to the park.

Feedback from this community engagement process will be incorporated into the final landscape plan and prioritised into stages.

Please note that future park improvements are not currently scheduled or funded for construction. We will use the landscape plan as a tool to bid for funding for future implementation.