‘That’s the reality’: Geelong council commits to removing The Local’s popular parklet over safety concerns

City Hall is not mincing its words as it commits to removing The Local’s outdoor dining area over safety fears, accusing its operators of spreading “inaccurate information”.

City Hall is doubling down on its decision to pull down a popular Geelong cafe’s alfresco area, accusing its operators of spreading “inaccurate information”.

The Local’s parklet on Garden St in East Geelong has become a major point of contention between council and the cafe’s owners and loyal customers.

Constructed as a temporary measure during Covid, council says it is now a major safety risk and executive director of city infrastructure James Stirton said action must be taken.

Mr Stirton cited an incident in Thomson last week where a vehicle lost control and mounted the kerb

“At least one vehicle has been known to have hit the (Local’s) parklet,” he said.

“We can’t sit by and wait until something terrible happens, we need to take action now.

“As the current site does not have a permit to operate and was constructed in a temporary way, it will need to be removed – either by the operator or the city.

“That’s the reality.”

An attempt by council contractors to remove the structure on January 23 was abandoned after a large number of locals staged a snap protest.

Cafe owner Ben McLachlan said council had been trying to remove the parklet for many years, and “unlawfully” cancelled the permit in 2022, then attempted to fine the cafe for a permitted structure, but failed to move forward with the court process.

The cafe was told in early December that their parklet permit would expire on December 31.

The Local’s Ben McLachlan. Picture: Alison Wynd.

Mr Stirton said council had worked with The Local to get the parklet up to a satisfactory standard, but no improvements had been made, despite its owners claiming on multiple occasions that engineers had been engaged.

“The operator of The Local has claimed that they had limited prior warning of our requests for the parklet to be removed, but that’s simply not accurate,” he said.

“We’ve been working with them for well over a year on this, and when their permit expired at the end of December, we informed them that they had 21 days to remove the unpermitted site, or we would be required to do so.

“They claim that we haven’t supported them, but The Local has consumed significant officer and councillor time and ratepayer resources over the past two years.

“It is regrettable that the situation has reached this point, but we are committed to public safety and we will not compromise on this.”

After commencing the process of lodging a formal permit for a new structure on Wednesday, Mr McLachlan said council had told him it would progress the application and review all documentation.

“We believe that this is a very positive step towards all parties reaching a resolution,” he said.

Mr McLachlan thanked the community for its support.

An online petition to save the parklet has received more than 2000 signatures.

Originally published as ‘That’s the reality’: Geelong council commits to removing The Local’s popular parklet over safety concerns