The City of Melbourne will issue temporary free parking permits to food premises to help them deliver takeaway meals during COVID-19 lockdown.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said two temporary parking permits could be issued to each registered food business in the City of Melbourne to help them stay viable during the pandemic.
"The pandemic has had a devastating impact on almost 3000 restaurants and cafés in our municipality," the Lord Mayor said.
"With no opportunities for people to dine in, our restaurants and cafés are relying on takeaway orders to keep their businesses afloat."
"The costs of using established home delivery services such as Uber and Easi are a disincentive for many businesses."
"We're responding by providing two free on-street parking permits to recognise the important role that restaurants and cafés play in Melbourne's food culture and economy."
The parking passes are valid for use within the City of Melbourne in parking bays designated by green signs of 30 minutes or longer.
Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood said the parking permits will be available from Tuesday 21 July and will apply until further notice.
"We want to support restaurants and cafes to set up their own home delivery services.
"Each business will be eligible for two passes so they can park for free in areas with green signs close to their business or near their customer's delivery address where that address is within the City of Melbourne," the Deputy Lord Mayor said.
"In total we have set aside 5866 free parking permits to support our restaurants and cafés."
"We're focused on reducing costs for business because we know that every dollar counts at this time."
To be eligible, businesses must be:
- A registered Food Business categorised by the City of Melbourne as Class 2 premises
- Operating in a fixed address within the Melbourne municipality
- Open and providing home food delivery services.
The free parking passes are in addition to the more than 8,000 dashboard stickers that the City of Melbourne has already provided to frontline workers to recognise their role in responding to COVID-19.
Only businesses that are classified as a restaurant or a café are eligible for this temporary parking permit.
