'It has no relevance': Businesses in turf war over whose customers get to use public parking spaces
02/01/2025 02:00 PM
Public street parking has been a pressing issue in Melbourne as the population grows, and this one café is taking matters into its own hands.
As Melbourne grapples with a growing population, the battle for free available car parks around the city and surrounding suburbs has become a pressing issue for drivers and businesses.
In the case of G&S Café, a local restaurant located in Port Melbourne – an inner-city suburb approximately 3km south-west of Melbourne – its attempt to restrict public street parking has sparked online discussions.
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The photo of the half-hour parking sign found along Plummer Street has drawn the attention of Reddit users after the business attached a custom sign that states "G and S Café Customer Parking Only" under the street signage.
The image was posted to the Melbourne Reddit thread on January 27, 2025, with the poster asking other users if the act is legal and if it can be enforced.
"The sign is not… enforceable at all. These guys are dreaming," one commenter stated, while another remarked: "Is this on the street? If so, they have no jurisdiction."
However, some locals reported the influx of patrons visiting the popular Derrimut 24:7 Gym franchise in the area has led to multiple drivers allegedly blocking spaces on the street by overstaying the time limit due to the lack of on-site spaces available.
"I work just down the road from here too and we have gym-goers parking in our private work parking spaces. I'm actually surprised at how little parking the gym was able to get away with [around] the building," one Reddit user said.
Another resident claimed they've spoken to the café workers, with the commenter adding, "My understanding is that they get most of their business from people (tradies, factory workers) who drive past and park in this [half-hour] parking spot to get some quick food and coffee".
"Now that the Derrimut Gym has opened [on] the corner of Plummet Street/Salmon Street, there is a constant battle for parking spots within a 200-metre radius of the gym," they added.
In response, Victor El Khoury, the G&S Café owner, told Drive, "We are not having any issues. Everyone has been respecting us".
When asked if the influx of gym patrons is having an impact on his business, Khoury declined to comment.
Louise Crawford, the Mayor of Port Phillip Council, said the makeshift sign "has no relevance as it hasn’t been applied by our Council to ensure sufficient use of parking. The sign would be ignored by parking officers and the standard parking signs must be followed at all times".
"Placing items on Council assets can be infringed under our local law. Our local officers will be in touch with the café to instruct them to remove the sign. A fine could be issued if the café ignores the authorised officer’s direction.
"We encourage cafés to not place signage on Council assets. If traders or residents wish to request a review of the parking controls, a process for doing so is outlined on our website," Mayor Crawford told Drive.
Drive has reached out to Derrimut 24:7 Gym Port Melbourne for comment and will update the story with its response.
It's not the first time the popular gym franchise has found itself in a car park dispute.
In a September 2024 A Current Affair report, Derrimut 24:7 Gym in Oakleigh – a southeastern suburb approximately 14km from Melbourne – has ruffled the feathers of other local retailers due to its members taking the majority of available parking spaces and, in some cases, illegally parking their vehicles.
According to the ACA, the local council approved its permit on the condition it would stick to a 180-patron limit. After receiving numerous complaints, a council investigator reportedly found 440 people inside the facility.
For context, Derrimut 24:7’s Oakleigh location has received more than 14,000 memberships since its doors first opened a couple of years ago, according to an August 2024 report by The Age.
In response to the 53 complaints it received regarding the parking congestion in Oakleigh, the Monash City Council said the 111 available car parks around the gym "could [have] sufficiently accommodated" the 180-patron limit it imposed on the franchise’s permit application.
"Parking was not anticipated to be a problem if the permit was not breached," Mayor Nick Luo said in a media statement.
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