Thank you to all community members who provided valuable information regarding the Moonee Valley City Council Footpath Trading Policy. The feedback from business owners as well as the broader community will inform the proposed revised Policy as well as the accompanying Guidelines and draft Fee Schedule.
Background and context
In response to State Government-imposed indoor capacity limits applied to hospitality business during the COVID-19 pandemic, Council implemented a Parklet Program to allow businesses to extend their trading area into car parking spaces adjacent to their premises. Community consultation was held in mid-2022 regarding a possible extension to the program. A detailed report of the findings from that consultation can be found here.
Due to a growing need for the implementation of a permanent Parklet Program within Moonee Valley, a review and update of the existing Footpath Trading Policy to include Parklets is needed.
The draft Policy is intended to be supported by updated Guidelines. A fairer and more equitable new fee structure has been proposed to base fees on square meterage instead of business frontage length for both footpath trading as well as parklets.
Here's a snapshot of what's changed -
- Footpath trading fees will have a new pricing model based on square metre occupation of the footpath
- All businesses will now have the opportunity to apply for a permit to trade on Moonee Valley footpaths
- Inclusion of parklets within the Footpath Trading Policy, with new parklet permit fees that include an annual fee and also a one-off installation fee for new parklet infrastructure
