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An early morning beach yoga class could be at risk of having its numbers capped under a new draft trading policy by the Town of Mosman Park.
Amy Nicholls runs sunrise yoga sessions at Mosman Beach. Over the past year, her classes have grown from around 20, to as large as 200 people.
But she could soon have a group limit of 30 people if the Town’s new policy is approved by council later this year.
The Trading in Public Places policy is currently out for public comment and aims “to cut red tape and make setting up shop in our public spaces easier, fairer, and more consistent.”
“Do you want to see more coffee carts, pop-up food vendors, fitness classes, and alfresco dining in Mosman Park?” the council website states.
“We’re aiming to give traders a clearer pathway, while instilling confidence in our community that public spaces will be activated in a way that’s enjoyable for everyone in Mosman Park.
“Before we move forward, we want to hear your thoughts as the draft policy also needs to detail how we can safeguard or minimise impact to residential and public amenity.”
As part of the policy, the Town is looking to limit how many people can recreate on public land in a group at one time.
“Applications for recreation and fitness classes conducted on public land will be assessed to ensure that the use of shared spaces is managed fairly and safely,” the draft reads.
“To preserve public amenity and prevent the monopolisation of public spaces, permits for trading in public places will only be granted for groups up to a maximum of 30 participants.
“This includes, but is not limited to, fitness and recreation classes, dog walking groups, river diving classes, and school sports operators utilising public park equipment.”
Groups with 10 or fewer participants would be exempt from requiring a permit.
Nicholls – who runs Amy Flows – said the change would drastically reduce the number of participants she could have in her classes.
“They are obviously open to having 30 people on the beach, but my classes have grown a significant amount over the last 12 months,” she said.
“It’s not that every single class has hundreds of people … It can be anywhere between 50 people, and then my biggest class that I had was over 200 people. But even with that class, I’ve always capped the numbers myself to what I was comfortable teaching in front of.”
Nicholls typically arrives at the beach at 5:30am and starts hosting her class at 6am.
Following that, the group will typically go for a beach dip and meet up for coffee at the Beach Bus.
She says that capping the numbers on her classes would also impact the Beach Bus and is the main reason she wouldn’t want to move the sessions to another beach.
“The whole reason I want to keep it at Mosman Beach is because of the Beach Bus because I work so closely with them, and it’s not just supporting my business – it’s supporting their business,” she said.
“Especially those mornings … when it’s a bit cooler. Not everyone’s up and about so early, but bringing a significant amount of people to them in the morning really helps their business too.”
The business posted to their social media supporting Nicholls and urged the community to voice their opinions on the draft policy.
“Movement improves physical health, mental health and social connection. Putting an arbitrary cap on class sizes makes it harder for people to access affordable outdoor exercise and join a community,” the Beach Bus posted to their Instagram on Monday.
“Let’s manage behaviour – not numbers. If a group is respectful, safe and shares the space well, it shouldn’t matter whether there are 12 people or 50. It’s a big beach!”
Nicholls said she was confused why the town decided on 30 people as being the appropriate number for recreational activity groups on public land.
“I think it’s definitely not fair because it really limits the community connection. I think I’d understand if it was a really small section of the beach with no parking nearby, but it is obviously a huge beach,” she said.
“I think 30 is such a random number too. My classes that I teach now, for example, I can fit more than 30 people in a single room. So I think they really need to look at the understanding of how the communities are managed, rather than capping it at a number.”
While she currently hosts yoga sessions at Trigg Beach as well – Nicholls isn’t keen on leaving her Mosman Beach community.
Instead, she’s holding out hope the Town will change their mind about putting a limit on group fitness numbers.
Town of Mosman Park Mayor Paul Shaw said the reason for the proposed cap of 30 is because there is an “obligation to ensure our shared public spaces are managed safely and fairly for all users.”
“If a community member wishes to run fitness classes with greater than 30 participants, they are welcome to register and apply for an event permit to ensure that the Town can provide guidance around the management of the place and to ensure ongoing amenity is enjoyed by all users of public spaces and places,” Shaw said.
“The Town actively encourages community connection, physical activity and local businesses using our public spaces – that’s something we want to see more of, not less. At the same time, we have a responsibility to make sure these shared spaces remain safe, accessible and enjoyable for everyone, not just those attending a class.
“This isn’t about limiting community connection or discouraging active, outdoor lifestyles – it’s about making sure one group’s use of a space doesn’t come at the expense of everyone else’s ability to enjoy it. The draft policy is about bringing clarity and consistency to this space.”
Public consultation on the draft policy closes on August 6.
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