Apply to extend your outdoor dining

Set up outdoor dining on the footpath in front of your business and/or a consenting neighbouring business. This is the simplest and fastest option for outdoor dining. We encourage you to explore this as an option and apply for the relevant permits as a first step.

Permit fees for footpath trading will be waived until 30 June 2022 for all applications lodged before 15 May 2021.

If you have a footpath trading permit for the front of your business, you can apply to extend your footpath trading area. If you do not currently have a footpath trading permit, and your property fits the criteria, you can apply now. 

To be eligible for footpath dining the area must meet Merri-bek Footpath Trading Guidelines.

How to apply for footpath trading

• Read the Footpath Trading Guidelines to determine your eligibility
• Apply for a Footpath Trading Permit or Extension to Footpath Trading Permit.
• Your permit will be fast tracked, assessed and issued within 1 week.

 

An on-street parking bay in front of your business can be converted into an outdoor dining space with our expansion of Merri-bek’s successful Parklet Program. We will waive permit fees, and grants are available for Long Term Parklets.

3 options are available:

A temporary parklet includes planter boxes and safety barriers to section off the parking area with equipment owned and installed by us, availble until 30 June 2022.

A short term parklet can by hired from us for 6 months at a time. We will install the parklet, inlcuding bench seats and planter boxes. This is a good option to try a parklet before comitting to a long term solution.

A long-term parklet can be designed and installed by you within the guildelines and can, after review, extend beyond the pandemic response period and become a more permanent fixture.

Whilst awaiting installation of short or long term parlets you may be eligible for a temporary parklet.

We encourage 2 or more businesses to collaborate and apply for an extended parklet. If eligible we will install an extended platform along a section of street-parking that will serve as a combined dining area.

To be eligible for a Parklet the parking bay must meet the Moreland Parklet Program guidelines (PDF 4Mb). 

The parking bay must: 

• Be located on a Council owned straight section of road with a speed limit of 50km/h (or less).
• Not sit within a clearway or contain service pit lids, fire hydrants or drains. 
• Be 10 metres from an intersection and 20 metres from a signalised intersection.

We will evaluate site specific considerations on a case by case basis.

Visit our Parklet Program page for more information.

You may be able to expand your outdoor dining onto previously unused private land, such as a carpark or a neighbouring property.

To make it easier for hospitality businesses to do this, we have made some temporary exemptions to planning permits.

To find out if you qualify for these exemptions view our planning permit exemptions factsheet. More detailed information is available in the updated Planning Scheme or you can call our Planning Team on 9240 1111.

Permits are available for new food truck or mobile food businesses and existing businesses can apply to trade in new locations.

New location fees are waived until 30 June 2021 for businesses registered to addresses in Merri-bek. 

Visit the Roadside Trading Permit page for more information.

The following links provide further information on Outdoor Dining and support for businesses.

• State Government of Victoria - Roadmap to Reopening for business and industry
• Business Merri-bek – COVID-19 Business Support
• Department of Health and Human Services - COVIDSafe Plans