Project Update

Thank you to all the residents, visitors, and businesses who shared feedback during the community engagement period in April 2024. Your feedback helped inform the final Draft Footpath Trading Guidelines.

You can read the Footpath Trading Guidelines Community Engagement Summary Report here.

At the Council Meeting on 7 August, Councillors endorsed the Footpath Trading Guidelines.

About the project

The Footpath Trading Guidelines provide a framework for the sustainable use and management of footpath trading areas. We're updating the guidelines so they meet current standards and to make things clearer for everyone.

We want the new guidelines to help keep patrons, footpath and road users safe, ensure everyone can access the footpath, help to make our streets more vibrant and support local businesses, and to be easy for everyone to understand.

Your feedback is important, so let us know what you think! Together, we can make our footpaths accessible for everyone.

How you can get involved

During the engagement period, you will be able to provide your feedback on the draft guidelines in a range of ways.

This will include:

  • Completing an online survey via this ‘Have Your Say’ page
  • Attending one of the ‘Neighbourhood Conversation’ pop-ups happening around Port Phillip.

Feedback on the draft Footpath Trading Guidelines closes on Friday 17 May 2024, 11.59pm.

How to Participate:

The Footpath Trading Guidelines provide a framework for the sustainable use and management of footpath trading areas.

The new Footpath Trading Guidelines will:

  • Support accessibility for all and help keep patrons, footpath and road users safe.
  • Support vibrancy and activation in our main streets, activity centres and laneways.
  • Support our local businesses and economy to thrive and encourage businesses to establish and remain in the City.
  • Be more easily understood by traders and the community.
  • Seek to protect residents’ amenity and Council assets, by appropriately balancing the commercial use of public space with the needs of the broader community.

The following consultation has occurred to gather input for the new draft Footpath Trading Guidelines:

  • Detailed internal review including engagement with Councillors.
  • Trader Insights Survey, with 663 surveys sent to current permit-holders and business associations. 16 responses were received, including 1 written submission.
  • Businesses briefings, with Officer attendance at five meetings with Business Associations and the Business Advisory Group.

Some key improvements in the draft Footpath Trading Guidelines include:

  • A more customer friendly document, reduced from 93 to 43 pages.
  • The ability for traders to propose temporary outdoor cooking stations, outdoor speakers, fairy lights, and fixed glass screens in more wind-affected areas of our city.
  • New standards for display of goods to enhance the visual appeal of our streets.
  • A new precinct standard for the South Melbourne Market, recognizing its unique characteristics including fixed outdoor cooking.