Council currently licenses four mobile vending sites along the Bayside foreshore. Frequently, Council receives enquiries from vendors with an interest in operating mobile businesses in the municipality. Reports of unlicensed mobile vendors around reserves and roadside locations are also occasionally received.

Council has identified an opportunity to formalise additional mobile vending activations on Council land.

We’re drafting an Activation of Council Land Policy to address the growing interest from vendors and increase mobile trading opportunities in the local area. The policy will be a first point of reference for interested vendors, outlining the application criteria, and establishing a framework for processing applications. The policy will provide information about managing impacts on the environment and Council amenities and will also include vendor considerations for the types of mobile businesses and trading locations.

The policy will align with Theme 10 (Tourism, Commercial and Economic Opportunities) of the Bayside 2050 Community Vision, Goal 2 (Our people) of the Council Plan 2021 – 2025, Goal 3 (Use Council-controlled property to optimise commercial returns) of the Property Strategy 2022-2026, the Lease and License Policy 2023, the Bayside Open Space Strategy, the Economic Development Strategy, and the Climate Emergency Action Plan.

Project impacts

The proposed Activation of Council Land Policy will:

• establish the principles and intent for commercial activity across Bayside
• outline a process for establishing short or longer-term mobile vending sites
• create a framework for assessing applications.

The policy aims to provide exciting and different services for Bayside in locations away from major shopping areas. Vendors will need to provide some community benefit beyond supplying a service and have a low impact on the surrounding area (including minimising waste and water/ energy consumption).

To protect open space and passive recreation, community use will take precedence over commercial activity. An established register of approved mobile vending sites will guide licensing for specific locations.

The policy will also incorporate parameters around the design and standard of a vendor’s mobile premises (including environmental efficiency), with operational hours assessed in accordance with adjacent land.

What information do we need from the community?

The six-week community engagement period will seek to understand community sentiment about mobile vendors trading in Bayside. We’re seeking suggestions to identify new vendor locations and ideas for the types of mobile businesses to operate in the new locations. The consultation also provides the opportunity for contributors to raise concerns and identify constraints for consideration when drafting the policy.

Participant contributions will be collated via an online survey, and a hotspot map on the project’s Have Your Say page. Contributors can also directly contact the project lead via email or phone or book a meeting to provide feedback. The information collected will help to inform the draft Activation of Council Land Policy.

What can the community influence?

• Council’s understanding of community sentiment for mobile trading.
• Improvements to the existing mobile trading structure.
• Identification of new mobile trading locations for vendors to operate.
• The types of businesses mobile vendors will operate in new locations.

What can’t the community influence?

• The development of the Activation of Council Land Policy.
• The license fees charged to mobile vendor operators.
• Existing mobile vendor sites and agreements.
• The dates, timelines and milestones involved in the development, service delivery and implementation of the policy.
• Council’s budgetary process and policy financial allocations. This is subject to separate community engagement on the annual budget.
• Alignment to any legislative, anti-discriminatory, ethical, and culturally sensitive requirements/guidelines.

Stakeholders and community

This stakeholder assessment is a generalised understanding of sections of the community that have a connection to the project or matter. This information is used to understand the types of tools and techniques that will achieve the strongest and most effective outcomes for engagement and communication.

Impact: What level of change the stakeholder/ community segment may experience as a result of the project/ matter.

Interest: What level of interest has been expressed or is anticipated

Influence: Reference to the IAP2 Spectrum

Selected tools and techniques

The tools and techniques selected for this project are informed by the project content, stakeholders and type of feedback sought.

Key tools for communicating the project

• Project page on Have Your Say engagement platform.
• Direct email to relevant Have Your Say members.
• Direct email to relevant stakeholder groups.
• News story on Bayside City Council (BCC) website.
• Feature article in This Week in Bayside e-news.
• Social media post on BCC channels (including youth accounts).

Key methods for gathering feedback

• Online survey on the project’s Have Your Say page.
• Online contributions to a hotspot map.
• Online Q&A forum to address project questions and comments.
• Email, post, or phone submissions.
• Opportunity to book a meeting with Project Manager to discuss the project.
• Printed materials, as required.

Decision-making process

The community will be engaged over a four-week consultation to gather feedback about their sentiment for mobile vending in Bayside. Suggestions for new mobile vendor locations and the type of businesses operated in these new sites will also be collected.

A review of the community feedback will help to inform the draft Activation of Council Land Policy. Council is anticipated to consider the draft policy in early 2025. A phase two community consultation will follow the Council review and feedback collected on the draft policy. The final policy is anticipated to be presented to Council for adoption in mid-2025.

The agenda for this meeting will be published a week before the meeting date. Interested community members can make a submission or request to speak in relation to this project at the meeting.

Please select the +Subscribe button at the top of the page to receive updates about this project, including when it will be considered by Council and any further opportunities to participate in this project.

More information:

Anton Nystrom

Property Officer

03 9599 4772

anystrom@bayside.vic.gov.au