Woollahra Council forced to act on Watsons Bay’s 15 minute parking rules after showdown with the NSW Government

Residents in one of Sydney’s most exclusive harbourside suburbs are set to have their dedicated on-street parking rights overhauled after concerns the current parking rules were prioritising homeowners over visitors.

Residents in one of Sydney’s most exclusive harbourside suburbs are set to have their dedicated on-street parking rights overhauled after critics claimed the current parking rules are prioritising homeowners over visitors.

A showdown between the NSW Government and Woollahra Council over public carparking spaces in Watsons Bay has come to a head after a lengthy planning row that has sparked fierce community debate and prompted the threat of council-led legal action.

The stoush has centred on the parking rules for 65 on-street carparking spaces which for 50-year have benefited resident permit-holders who are able to park in the spaces for an unlimited amount of time.

Visitors – including many beachgoers who flock to Watsons Bay during the summer months – have meanwhile been limited to parking in the spaces for just 15 minutes.

The NSW government last year began steps to clamp down on the system which it labelled “impractical and unreasonable”.

The 15 minute rule applied to 65 parking spaces in Watsons Bay.

Roads Minister John Graham has compared the 15 minute rule to “speed parking”.

The 15 minute rule also copped a public spray from the state’s road minister John Graham who vowed he was “not going to allow a situation where 15-minute speed parking gets in the way of access to Sydney’s beaches which are for all, not just local residents”.

But supporters of the current system argue the parking rules are vital for many homeowners in the suburb due to the lack of off-street carparking spaces.

The council has now been forced to take steps to lift the 15 minute restrictions to one hour for non-permit holders in response to new standardised ‘permit parking guidelines’ released by Transport for NSW this month.

The permit rules benefit homeowners who lack off-street parking.

The new guidelines stipulate that local councils must ensure “signage displaying permit holder exceptions must have a permissive parking limit of not less than one hour” and that “permits must not be issued in the area if this minimum time is not met”.

Woollahra Councillor Mary Lou-Jarvis – a defender of the existing 15 minute rule – said the changes lacked flexibility for the council to provide a “local solution to a local problem”.

“Many of the homes in Watsons Bay are heritage former fishing cottages with no off-street parking and residents have no other option but to park in the street,” she said.

Local councillor Mary-Lou Jarvis.

“The changes will impact people’s livelihoods because if those spaces are full, where do they park?

“The 15 minute restriction has also changed the behaviour of people visiting Watsons Bay because instead of driving cars, they come via ferry or bus and that’s reduced road congestion.

“Transport for NSW has come in over the top of us and changed the rules – as a council we’ve had no choice.”

Ms Jarvis has questioned whether the guidelines were specially developed by Transport for NSW as a way of forcing the council to change the current rules.

A representative of Transport for NSW told a council traffic committee meeting this week that the department had taken into account feedback from “all councils” and the changes would encourage “reasonable access to the public roads for all road users”.

Resident Andrew Maloney – a member of a local resident group – has opposed the changes, saying the one hour could result in more congestion and road safety impacts in the suburb.

Councillor Merrill Witt said Watsons Bay was also expected to come under further “parking pressure” in coming years due to increased development and population growth.

Transport for NSW in a statement said the new permit guidelines “was prompted by access to public parking being restricted to 15 minutes on some council streets”.

“The change to the guidelines is intended to balance the parking needs of permit holders with the principle of reasonable public access to streets and nearby destinations,” a spokesman said.

“Transport for NSW wrote to all NSW councils to seek their input on the proposed change, with a majority of councils that responded either supporting or not opposing the update.

“Roads Minister John Graham was informed throughout the process.”

A report by the council noted the 65 permit parking spaces only represented a small fraction of the 984 available parking spaces in Watsons Bay which can be used by all members of the public.