_Parklets Popping Up
Readers of the Collie newsfeed may recall a recent article in which we discussed planning scheme amendment VC193, which introduced a planning permit exemption for venues to serve food and drinks in adjoining outdoor spaces beyond the venue itself, such as on footpaths, car parks and nearby parks.
Following this announcement it has been good to see a number of ‘parklets’ popping up across the City as seen in the photos below.
It is worth noting that whilst these new ‘parklets’ are occurring across the State in response to the separation spacing required in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the City of Melbourne is also investigating using similar initiatives in the CBD, with discussion that such measures may become permanent in order to reduce car dominance and to encourage pedestrian and bicycle friendly streets. Such measures proposed include in certain portions of ‘Little’ streets, reducing car speed limits, clearer on-street line marking for cyclists and creating more footpath width through the possible removal of car parking spaces.
Collie welcomes these initiatives and will be keen to see how it works and whether these features become permeant fixtures.