North Melbourne parking improvement works

Explore how we're making parking simpler and more available in North Melbourne.

The City of Melbourne first engaged with the North Melbourne community from July and October 2025 to better understand the parking challenges in the neighbourhood. We then engaged the community again in February to March 2026 about a set of proposed parking changes.

Feedback from the 2025 engagement was reviewed alongside an expert parking report conducted by transport specialist AECOM, parking data from the local area and the policies of the Parking and Kerbside Management Plan.

As a result of the feedback we received about the proposed changes to on-street parking in North Melbourne, we have updated the changes that will be rolled out in 2026.

These changes can be seen below and aim to improve parking in North Melbourne. Read more on the community consultation page.

North Melbourne parking improvements

We heard :

“No feedback on the changes, but they need to be policed!”

To respond to parking pressure:

Where there is demand during the week, typically controls will apply 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday.
Where there is consistent demand, typically controls will apply from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Sunday.
Where there is low demand, parking will remain unsigned this round.
Parking that currently ends later than 7pm will be retained until 10pm.

We will adjust some parking controls to increase consistency across an area. See area maps below for adjustments.

Where parking is paid, we will update bays to 2-hour (2P), 4-hour (4P) or All day (P) parking.
Where parking is unpaid, we will update bays to a mix of short (1/4P, 1P and 2P) and long (4P or P) based on the existing demand and land use.

We heard:

"The demand for parking on Errol st and surrounds is not actually high on the weekend and the area is already difficult for local businesses. Making parking in this area paid is not a good idea."

“I believe there is more potential to expand paid parking in the area, with appropriate exemptions for residents with permits.”

To reflect increased demand on parking in key locations:

Meters will be installed consistently along the south side of Flemington Road.
Area One will also be consistently metered on all streets.
Area Two until Curzon and O’Shanassy Street will be metered as per the attached map.

We will simplify residential exempt parking by:

Retaining existing ‘resident permit excepted’ parking bays.
Replacing ‘permit zone’ parking spaces with an increase of at least 25% in ‘resident permit excepted’ bays.
Where streets were previously uncontrolled and have parking controls newly introduced, we will apply resident exemptions to one side of the street.

We heard:

“I do like the 15min short stay for free in metered areas. It helps local residents just pop into a shop or the post office etc”

“Sometimes our delivery drivers from our suppliers complain about lack of loading bays for them, as sometimes there's regularly vehicles parked/stopped in the loading bays.”

Short stay parking, such as ten-minutes (P10) and 15-minutes (1/4P), will be reduced in paid parking areas. In place of these bays, we will introduce ‘15 minutes free parking’ when you log your parking session with the EasyPark app for any paid parking bay.
“No Parking” bays will support pick up/drop off to help business and food delivery vehicles access businesses and residences.
We will review and update the number and location of Loading Zones, based on demand and land use.
We will simplify all Loading Zone times to 30 minutes from 7am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. After 4pm and on weekends this space will be available for all users.
Accessible Bays will be provided at key locations including near health services, public facilities and transport.

We have already committed to the following which address key concerns from the North Melbourne community:

Develop a Strategic Parking Permit Policy that updates current parking permit framework.
Refresh and communicate our parking enforcement approach.

Learn more about the Parking and Kerbside Management Plan.

Now that the parking changes for North Melbourne have been finalised, works to roll out these changes will begin in April 2026.

Contractor letters will be sent to property occupants 1-2 weeks before work begins on the street. Always check the signs when you park to see what conditions apply.

The changes we're making are not 'set and forget'. We will review them each year to make sure the new parking conditions are working well.

After this first round of parking changes have been completed, an annual review will be scheduled. This gives the community time to adjust to the updated conditions before we review their performance and amend them where necessary. Through this process, parking conditions may evolve over several years.