‘Hot-button’: Report to Waverley Council proposes $300 driveway tax in new parking plan
A draft parking strategy is calling on a council to charge residents for parking permits, and for their own driveways in an attempt to manage high demand in the area.
Thomas Sargeant
Wentworth Courier
March 24, 2026
Residents of an eastern suburbs council could be charged up to $300 to have a driveway and $150 for a parking permit under a draft strategy which will be up for debate.
Waverley councillors on Tuesday evening will discuss a new plan for parking in the area, with a report recommending residents begin paying for street parking permits and to park in their own driveway.
The report to council notes the strategy “remains at a conceptual level,” and Mayor Will Nemesh said he opposed any plans to charge residents for the use of their own driveways.
“I will be seeking to remove this option for consideration at the council meeting,” he told the Wentworth Courier.
“I want to see parking within Waverley be fair, equitable and sustainable. The ideas put forward to council, with the exception of the kerb protection proposal, seek to achieve this balance.”
The proposal is part of a broad review of resident parking in the council area, which has found an ongoing reduction in publicly available kerb space as a result of growing vehicle sizes and additional driveways being added.
The report to council found growth in vehicle size had effectively reduced street parking by 6 per cent in the 10 years from 2014, and the number of driveways in the region had increased by about 100 annually.
In an example cited by the council report, a driveway was added to a property which appeared to be subdivided.
According to council documents, all regions of the council besides Queens Park and Bronte had oversubscribed parking permits compared to actual availability on local streets, with Bondi Beach at double its own capacity.
The report proposed parking permits be capped at two per household, with residents to be charged between $100-$150 for their first pass and $300-$400 for a second.
“It is not a secret that most users prefer not to pay for parking,” the report reads.
“Yet over time and in line with the overarching intent of the (resident parking) review, it is anticipated that existing and future parking challenges would moderate, leading to better outcomes for all.”
Cr Nemesh said parking in the area was “a hot-button issue”.
“Council has not undertaken a comprehensive review of its parking framework since 2017,” he said.
“We are well overdue.”
Comparable Sydney councils including Woollahra, City of Sydney, Randwick and Mosman require residents to pay for their first residential parking permit.
The permits in Waverley Council were paid prior to 2018, with car ownership rates increasing in the years since.
It is understood council revenue raised from the permits would go towards other parking programs, including enforcement of their on-demand towing policy.
A council spokesperson said no changes have been approved, and they are seeking input from residents around any proposed changes based on “concerns about the current approach to parking across Waverley”.
“As the second-highest density LGA in New South Wales, parking in Waverley is a significant issue for residents and visitors,” a council spokesperson said.
“Council is committed to investigating ways to improve the situation for residents, to cater to existing and future increases in demand.
“Any changes require further analysis, community consultation and Council approval.”
