Parking fines for tradespeople on Womerah Lane, Darlinghurst
Dear City of Sydney,
I am writing to make an application under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW).
I understand that complaints have recently been made to Council in relation to vehicles parked in Womerah Lane, Darlinghurst. I would like to request access to the following information:
1. Copies of the complaints (including the substance of the concerns raised), with any personal details of the complainants redacted if necessary.
2. Any Council file notes, correspondence, or records of action taken in response to these complaints.
The reason for my request is that fines issued in this laneway situation are unfair and impractical. The lane is the only means by which residents and tradespeople can access our properties, and it is simply not possible to avoid parking there. By acting on complaints without considering this reality, Council risks applying enforcement in a way that is unreasonable and out of step with the practical needs of the community.
Furthermore, penalising tradespeople for parking in the lane makes it extremely difficult for residents to secure affordable services. Many trades are now simply refusing to take on work as they risk receiving fines, which in turn makes it impossible for us to properly maintain our properties. This is ia serious and ongoing issue for the neighbourhood and one that enforcement alone cannot and should not be used to resolve.
My intention in seeking this information is to understand the nature of the complaints and how Council has responded, so that residents and council can open a constructive conversation about more balanced and sensible ways to resolve this issue locally, rather than through repeated complaints and enforcement action.
If full access cannot be provided due to privacy considerations, I would appreciate the release of the information in summary or de-identified form.
Please let me know if any application fee is payable or if you require further clarification of the scope of this request.
Yours faithfully,
Bronwyn Muir
35 Womerah Lane, Darlinghurst
Thank you for contacting the City of Sydney.
We aim to respond to enquiries within 10 working days, however response
times may vary depending on the nature of the request and volume.
If the matter is causing an immediate risk to public health and safety
please call us on 9265 9333.
___
456 Kent Street
GPO Box 1591
Sydney NSW 2001
Telephone: 02 9265 9333
[1][City of Sydney request email]
[2]cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Did you know that you can now report all issues and requests for service
including parking, waste, graffiti and household collections online?
Simply visit this [3]link to log your request.
References
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3. https://online.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/
Our ref: X124792
Dear Bronwyn,
In your below request you specify that you are making an application under
the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).
You also specify that you are happy for us to redact personal details from
any complaints received.
The information you have requested (especially as we can redact any
personal details), does not require an application under the GIPA Act (a
formal application).
We can proceed to process your request as an information access request
(an informal request), free of charge, and have any complaints to you by
the end of today (pending a response by you).
Also, regarding the time frame we would be processing all relevant
complaints from 1 January 2025 to present. From this period there seems
to be approximately 25 complaints received.
Please let us know if you are happy to proceed with your request as an
information access request and you are happy with the period between 1
January 2025 to present.
As soon as you can respond to this email, we can begin to process your
request.
Alternately, please let us know if you prefer to proceed with a formal
application.
It is simply a question of whether you want to have access to the internal
and external review rights afforded to you under the formal realm.
From experience we find this is rarely needed.
Please feel free to call with any questions and I can explain further.
Kind regards
Makrina
Information Access
Telephone: [1]9265 9066
[2]cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
The City of Sydney acknowledges the Gadigal of the
Eora nation as the Traditional Custodians of our local area.
Dear Makrina
More than happy with information access request and to cover the period between 1
January 2025 to present.
Cheers,
Bronwyn Muir
Our ref: X124792
Dear Bronwyn,
Thank you very much for your confirmation email and thank you for your
time over the phone this morning.
I have now processed the complaints received from 1 January 2025 to
present, relating to illegal parking at Womerah Lane Darlinghurst.
I have also included any corresponding actions taken on these complaints
by our City Rangers team.
You will receive an additional email to this one prompting you to download
this information.
The link to download it will expire on 18 September 2025.
Due to a new customer service system the City of Sydney has adopted, I do
not have the expertise and knowledge in pulling out all the corresponding
data.
I have done my best to pull out all corresponding actions.
I will enquire further with our Customer Service team and see if they are
able to pull together all the relevant data relating to these complaints.
I endeavour to provide you with any information they provide by cob next
week Thursday 18 September 2025.
Have a lovely afternoon and rest of the week.
Kind regards
Makrina
Information Access
Telephone: [1]9265 9066
[2]cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
The City of Sydney acknowledges the Gadigal of the
Eora nation as the Traditional Custodians of our local area.
Hi Makrina,
Many thanks for your assistance. This is plenty. There is no need to provide any more data. I’ll see how my enquiry goes with council with regard to the parking issue and see how we go from there,
Once again, thanks for all your help.
Cheers
Bron Muir
Yours sincerely,
Bronwyn Muir`
Hi Brownyn,
Thank you so much for advising and thank you for all your kindness.
You have been such a delight and pleasure to deal with.
Thank you very much and take care.
Kind regards
Makrina