Yarra introduces one of Melbourne's first permanent outdoor dining programs
Wednesday 06 October 2021
Yarra City Council will waive all parklet and footpath trading fees until April 2022 and make its temporary outdoor dining program permanent.
At last night’s Council Meeting, Council supported the introduction of the new permanent program and parklet policy.
This is one of the first permanent outdoor dining program to be endorsed in Melbourne.
Council has waived all fees associated with having a parklet until April 2022, and has then introduced a 25% discount until October 2022.
Under the program, businesses will be able to trade in allocated parklets across Yarra without any caps on the number of parklets a business can have. They will also be able to install rooves on their parklets to provide protection from the elements.
The program also includes options for either 6-month (summer) or 12-month permits, giving local traders added flexibility.
Yarra Mayor Councillor Gabrielle de Vietri said Council had worked in partnership with community and local traders to develop a program and policy that would continue to meet the needs of local businesses and community.
“We have spoken to hundreds of businesses in Yarra who have benefited greatly from Yarra’s temporary program and we are delighted to announce that the program is here to stay,” Mayor de Vietri said.
“This permanent program represents a fundamental shift in how our streets and food and dining precincts operate, making them more vibrant and accessible.”
“Not only will it support businesses to increase their seating capacity, trade and revenue but it will support local jobs.”
Mayor de Vietri said this announcement was another example of Council’s ongoing support for local business.
“This builds on Council’s considerable support for local business with more than $3 million in direct grants and fee waivers provided since the beginning of the pandemic,” she said.
“As we reach our vaccination targets and begin to open up, this program will give Yarra’s food and dining precincts a much-needed boost.”
As part of the program Council has also endorsed a tiered fee structure based around the fair and equitable sharing of public space. This includes a further discounted rate to support businesses during COVID and in the post pandemic recovery and the option of further fee waivers if Melbourne experiences future lockdowns.
The majority of current parklet operators will pay as little as $2.31 per day per parklet after April 2022 and then approximately $6 per day after October 2022.
Year 1 parklet fees (1 November 2021 to 30 September 2022)
A 25% discount and a 5-month waiver has been applied to year 1 fees.
| Street type | Application and inspection fee | 6 month 'summer' permit fee (1 November to 31 March) |
Annual permit fee (1 November to 30 September) | Average cost per day |
| Primary | $0 | $0 | $1,875 | $5.14 |
| Secondary | $0 | $0 | $1,125 | $3.08 |
| Neighbourhood | $0 | $0 | $843.75 | $2.31 |
Year 2 parklet fees (1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023)
| Street type | Per bay fee, per year | Application and inspection fee | 6 month 'summer' permit fee (1 October to 31 March) | 12 month permit fee (1 October to 30 September) | Average cost per day for annual fee |
| Primary | $5,000 | $275 | $2,775 | $5,275 | $14.45 |
| Secondary | $3,000 | $275 | $1,775 | $3,275 | $8.97 |
| Neighbourhood | $2,250 | $275 | $1,400 | $2,525 | $6.92 |
Since the temporary outdoor dining program was introduced in October 2020, Yarra has created over 485 additional outdoor dining spaces including:
- 150 new footpath trading areas
- 200 extensions to existing footpath trading
- 130 on-street parklets and
- 8 large-scale outdoor dining spaces created through road or laneway closures
For more information on Yarra’s new permanent outdoor dining program and policy visit the Parklet Program page.