Council endorsed the Business Parklet Guidelines 2023 at their 15 March Council Meeting.
What we heard from the community
In February of this year, Council conducted targeted consultation with traders on the proposed Business Parklet Guidelines. The Economic Development team contacted traders via email, via Council's Business Newsletter and in some cases in person, to invite them to provide feedback to the online survey.
The Have Your Say survey received 30 responses which indicated that there was a general acceptance of parklets. We received 15 responses which were positive/neutral about parklets, with 11 responses providing negative sentiments about the installation of parklets.
Parking provision was the main concern of those providing negative responses. Others questioned whether parklets are required in a post-pandemic environment.
Positive comments about parklets adding to an area's vibrancy and energy were also received. These comments supported the ability of people to enjoy outdoor dining.
There was also support for the Guidelines themselves, with community members responding favourably to the heightened accessibility and design requirements in the updated Guidelines. The endorsed Business Parklet Guidelines are available to view in the Document Library on this page.
The key areas in which these guidelines differ from the previous version are:
- Increased focus on ensuring all parklet structures meet accessibility requirements and are Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant.
- Changes to the permitted numbers of parking bays permitted for Ormond Road, Elwood (between Beach and Pine Aves) from 10 to 8 and Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea from 8 to 6 (both reflect current status).
- Clarification to the consent required from adjoining businesses/residents and the ability for Council to proceed without it should the positive outcomes to the street warrant this.
- Strengthening of requirement that any unused parklets must be made available for public use and promoted accordingly – this applies where parklets are empty during the day, not utilised 7 days a week or in cases where they’re empty at night in a busy night-time economy.
- Greater focus on ensuring good design outcomes and the ability to revoke permits or reject applications where this is not the case.
- Clarification of compliance measures and lining up to the Local Law
- Clarification of what’s permittable in terms of ‘roof’ type structures and wall heights
