Waverley Council has officially scrapped a highly contentious proposal that would have forced residents to pay up to $300 for the right to park in their own driveways. The plan was abandoned after fierce opposition from Mayor Will Nemesh, who declared the idea should never have been considered in the first place.
Mayor's Strong Opposition Halts Driveway Tax
Mayor Will Nemesh stated he strongly opposed taxing residents for using their own property, saying he would seek to remove the option from consideration at the council meeting. "I want to see parking within Waverley be fair, equitable and sustainable," Cr Nemesh told local media as soon as he became aware of the proposal.
Parking Crisis in Eastern Suburbs
The controversial driveway tax was part of a broader parking framework review, the first since 2017, that addressed severe parking shortages in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The Waverley electorate encompasses popular beachside areas including Bondi, Bronte, Vaucluse, Tamarama, North Bondi, Queens Park, and Dover Heights.
A council report revealed that up to 100 new driveways are constructed annually in the electorate, significantly reducing available kerbside parking spaces. In Bondi Beach specifically, parking demand nearly doubles the available on-street spaces. Almost every suburb except Queens Park and Bronte has issued more parking permits than there are available parking spots.
Additional Parking Restrictions Proposed
The parking strategy also included proposals to cap households at two parking permits, with the first permit costing between $100 and $150 and the second jumping to $350 to $400. Council officials explained these measures were designed to address the reduction in public street parking caused by new driveways and the increasing size of vehicles.
A council report noted that larger vehicles have reduced available parking spaces by approximately six percent over the past decade, exacerbating the parking crisis in what is already the second-densest local government area in the state.
Community Consultation and Rationale
A Waverley Council spokesman explained that the driveway tax was one of five proposals considered during Tuesday's council meeting. "The idea was based on the results of community consultation in 2025 that heard about the issues and frustrations residents have when it comes to parking," the spokesman stated.
The council emphasized that the proposals were being considered for community consultation to gather resident feedback before any changes would be implemented. The driveway tax specifically was designed around the principle that driveways consume on-street spaces that would otherwise exist for public use.
Framework Review and Future Considerations
The parking framework review represents the council's first comprehensive examination of parking policies since 2017. While the driveway tax has been removed from consideration, other proposals including the parking permit caps remain under discussion for potential community consultation.
The council spokesman noted that the approaches were researched based on comparable local government areas facing similar parking challenges in densely populated urban environments.
