Outdoor dining parklets remain under scrutiny across Victoria as councils decide the future of structures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to support local businesses.
One parklet drawing attention is in Forest Road in Ferntree Gully, where some residents continue calling for its removal while others argue it benefits the local community.
At the same time, an RMIT expert is calling for councils to expand and innovate their parklet policies and programs to transform streets and enliven local communities as councils across Victoria begin to firm up their positions on the spaces.
Professor Quentin Stevens, Landscape Architecture, said that parklets, which were first introduced just 20 years ago as unauthorised, temporary interventions on city streets, have rapidly become a vital tool for local communities to enliven and transform streets to increase greenery, commerce, social interaction and play.
“Our research shows that hospitality parklets, and even parklets available for free community use, tend to cluster very tightly within hospitality precincts that are already thriving,” they said.
Knox City Council is preparing a municipality-wide outdoor dining policy expected by April after delays for the removal of non-compliant parklet structures last year, including the Ferntree Gully site, three parklets remain across Knox,
A media spokesperson from Knox Council said that at present, the Council manages these outdoor dining parklets under local law provisions.
“Businesses must obtain a street trading or outdoor dining permit to operate in these spaces and comply with all permit conditions, including maintenance and management of the area,” they said.
Knox council may yet extend permission for outdoor dining parklets to continue operating in Knox after 1 March 2026 until 1 June 2026, but only if business owners have submitted the required application for an ongoing parklet 27 February 2026 last week.
If an application was not submitted by this deadline, council officers will begin removing their existing parklets from 2 March 2026.
Ferntree Gully Village township group President Seamus Smith said their group has concerns about the lack of maintenance at the site and said the parklet looks tattered and worn and the space can make it difficult for cars to pull out along that road.
“What would happen if someone were to hurt themselves?” he said.
In a report submitted in October last year, Knox Council officers said many of their parklets built were no longer in use, and many were showing obvious wear and tear and were progressively deteriorating.
The council’s building team inspected their parklets and noted several compliance and maintenance issues, recommending their removal.
Further factors have complicated the Ferntree Gully parklet; the land it is built on is both private and public, it lies across two businesses and one if currently up for sale.
First built in September 2020 after the first Covid-19 lockdowns as part of the state government’s Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package, Knox City Council received $500,000 at the time to deliver and support outdoor dining and entertainment space parklets.
Set to be removed in August 2022, council officers recommended they be extended for another year until August 2023 alongside the introduction of a permit fee based on street trading and commercial use of the footpath – the motion was passed unanimously.
In Cardinia Shire, they have no parklets to manage, but a spokesperson said that the footpath trading policy is currently under review internally.
“When the draft policy is released for public consultation, the community will have the opportunity to provide feedback, including views on whether outdoor dining or parklet options should be considered in the long term,” they said.
In Yarra Ranges, the council audits and repairs its parklets regularly and have plan to make one in Upwey permanent.
Yarra Ranges Council Acting Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure, Vincenzo Lombardi, said that initially, the parklets were installed for a very specific purpose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They are still widely used, and Council continues to receive positive feedback from both traders and the wider community,” he said.
“In response to this Council has recently installed a new parklet in Yarra Glen at the specific request of local traders for all to enjoy.”
Back in Knox, as the new outdoor policy release approaches, some have argued that taking the parklet away would negatively impact the community.
Knox Council received a petition with more than 100 signatures in support of the parklet in Ferntree Gully last October, arguing the removal of the structure would “negatively impact the experience of customers.”
The petition also included that the space is used regularly on the weekend by a cyclist group.
Mr Smith said that if the parklet was being used more regularly and closer to their cafes in Ferntree Gully, the group would take a different stance.
“The council officers have acknowledged that the building structure isn’t sound, and councilors have gone against the officer’s wishes and elected to push it on, push it on and and keep it going, which is frustrating as a as a resident, as well as someone who has listened to other community members who also find issues with the with the site,” he said.
