Mosman, Northern Beaches councils reject free beach parking plan for renters
Two Sydney seaside councils are pushing back against a state government plan to allow renters in their areas to have the same free beach parking rights as ratepayers. Take our poll.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Two Sydney seaside councils are crying poor over a NSW Government push to give renters the same rights as rate paying homeowners to park their cars for free at the beach.
Mosman and Northern Beaches Council fear they could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in parking revenue due to a proposed scheme that gives renters a sticker to park for free at popular beaches including Manly, Balmoral, Curl Curl and The Spit.
Northern Beaches and Mosman councils currently hand out free permits to ratepayers, but renters either have to pay for the same permits or fork out for tickets.
Former NSW Roads Minister John Graham – who announced the policy earlier this year – said the changes would bring “egalitarianism” and “fairness”.
But the push has ignited anger from both councils with Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins warning the changes are “poorly conceived” and could force more cars into beachside car parks.
Mayor Heins says her council would lose $500,000 in revenue each year — that goes towards the upkeep of beaches — it could earn from selling permits and levying beach parking fees.
Mosman Council, which rakes in $3m in annual parking revenue, claims the changes could upset the “delicate and accepted balance achieved around parking in high demand locations”.
The council’s general manager, Dominic Johnson, labelled the changes as “application of equity under the guise of a minister looking for a newspaper article about himself”.
But newly appointed Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison is standing by the policy and called for both council’s to “consider the equity of their rules”.
“Just because you own a home does not mean you own the beach,” Ms Aitchison said.
“A third of people rent their home in NSW, and that number is rising. We do not think it is reasonable or fair to say in a cost-of-living crisis they don’t deserve the same access to their local beach as homeowners.
“In some cases, investors who do not live in an area are given free permits, but local renters are not, simply because they are not property owners.”
Other gripes outlined by Mosman and Northern Beaches councils include the impact on income it receives from parking permits which they argued is used to “offset costs” in maintaining beaches such as Manly.
Both councils are also crying foul over the potential “administrative burdens” in applying a free parking permit scheme for renters.
Under current rules, northern beaches property owners are issued two free annual parking permits for local beaches, but renters need to apply and pay $250 for a permit.
In a motion to be debated at Tuesday’s Northern Beaches Council meeting, calling for new parking guidelines be opposed, Ms Heins pointed out that many landlords pass on the permits to their tenants.
In Mosman, property owners are granted permits to four beachside car parks while renters can purchase $61 permits with a maximum of two permits permitted for each rental property.
Last financial year, Mosman Council issued 1467 permits to renters – equating to around $89,487 in revenue which the council would lose under the NSW Government changes.
Public consultation on the proposed changes remains open to the public and will close May 2.
More Coverage
Originally published as Mosman, Northern Beaches councils reject free beach parking plan for renters
AI bully boys: Private students selling fake nude pics of girls
Young male students from a Sydney private school have been caught selling explicit deepfake images of their female classmates in a concerning escalation of the bullying crisis blighting NSW.
Best of frenemies kicking goals in Sydney
They may be rival CEOs but Tom Harley and David Matthews agree on two things – how they like their steaks, and when it comes to playing AFL, there is no place better than Sydney.