Monash Council is looking to make outdoor dining permanent

Outdoor dining could become permanent in the City of Monash, if businesses are willing to cough up a fee. Do you like the idea?

Outdoor seating in Glen Waverley could become permanent following Monash council trial. Picture: Supplied.

Monash Council is trialing an outdoor seating scheme with permitted business able to convert their parking areas into an extended trading area for the warmer months.

After a consultation process with traders and residents, the council is now welcoming eligible businesses to apply for a permit to extend their business for a fee — which is about the same as the footpath trading fee.

The policy will allow hospitality businesses to open dining areas in allocated parking spots.

Before the end of the year businesses in the trial will be asked their opinion about the parklets policy and could help council decide if the scheme should become permanent.

City of Monash Mayor Stuart James expressed his excitement about the trial after the success of outdoor dining after Covid.

“Building on the popularity of these spaces, a new trial parklets on Roads Policy enables businesses to activate carparking spaces in the City of Monash where road conditions allow, partnering with council’s existing footpath trading program to create more options for hospitality venues,” he said.

“It also ensures that safety issues and parking availability are assessed, and that there is uniform consistency around the quality of parklets across the municipality.”

Cr James hoped this would encourage residents and visitors to get out and support local businesses on Monash.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how this trial goes over the warmer months, with further consultation to take place with traders in the program to make sure we got the policy right.”