COME the weekend, the Airlie Beach foreshore is a hive of activity.

But the site's western tip, home to the Lions Airlie Beach Markets, receives constant complaints surrounding an unpleasant smell from the toilets, illegal camping and what has become known locally as "the dustbowl".

Council has now released a proposal to change all this, with a project suggesting green grass, wider pathways and asphalt parking spaces.

The proposed plan does however also include moving the markets from the sand's edge to what is now the gravel carpark.

Although the designated stall sites will include power and water, many stall holders are unhappy with the move.

"The ambience of this market is really special because it's right on the beach," Valerie Adams, a long time stall holder, said.

"They take the beach away, it becomes something less."

Whitsunday Beefalo & Berkshire Gold owner Christina della Valle also operates from the markets.

"Is that going to be attractive when you have the foreshore here?" she said.

"It's the venue that has that draw."

Cr Jan Clifford said she believed the new foreshore would actually help draw in visitors.

"I think it's going to be much better than what they've got now," she said.

"And once we've redeveloped the foreshore area and grassed it and paved it, put in more trees, got rid of the pump station hopefully, or re-done the toilets and all the rest of it; I think it will be a great win-win for everybody."

Whitsunday Lions Market Committee chairman Allan Gravelle was on the steering committee for the proposed plan, but said the group was "hoping that the consultation that takes places will highlight some of the reservations that we still have about the concept".

"From our point of view, there are two major discussion points, and they are discussion points only," he said.

"The main one being the fact that they're removing a lot of car parking.

"The proposal, as according to the plans that I've seen, would make it a very dangerous environment for the market stall holders loading and unloading."

The other being the "loss of ambience of the beach front location".

The council's chief financial officer Matthew McGoldrick said the loss of parking was a misconception and the plan would actually increase parking as illegal campers were deterred.

"We're proposing to put in paid parking," he said.

"That will disturb those people who are inappropriately using our car park at the moment."

A Facebook group has been set up to protest the markets' move. Search Say No to Council Moving the Markets.

FACEBOOK COMMENTS:

THE proposed plan to revitalise the Airlie Beach foreshore has already generated significant debate, with many residents taking to social media to share their ideas.

Matthew McCarthy said we should be planning Airlie Beach as "the North Queensland Gold Coast".

"A decent theme park... a casino," he wrote.

Alli Schmidt also suggested installing attractions on the foreshore.

"A free water park like Townsville or Bowen," she said.

"It would be to have something more for the kids."

Not everyone is thrilled with the idea of excavators moving in however.

"You have no idea how incredibly hard the ordinary, local people have worked to build that very beach out of the rocky, ugly foreshore that it was," Josephine Hernon wrote.

"And now you want to take all that away?

"If you want water parks and the like, take it over to the marina grounds, leave the beach and it's classic, iconic and internationally renowned markets alone."

Some residents have suggested simply cleaning up the area, with Kerri-may Tanner voting for "less rubbish".

"Agreed with Kerri... More rubbish bins," Peta Kucas wrote.