Wanneroo keeps public parking free, backs more time limits in busy areas

Drivers will not face city-wide paid parking in the City of Wanneroo after the Revenue Review Committee voted 5 - 1 against introducing it, while supporting more timed parking in areas with high occupancy.

The vote rejects a broad paid-parking model but supports targeted time limits where demand is greatest. No new parking fees, streets, time limits or implementation date were approved.

Parking pressure identified in the advice was localised, with schools, community sporting grounds and the Wanneroo Markets listed among the main trouble spots. Weekend demand was noted around the markets. Wanneroo City Centre was also considered as a possible location for future parking controls.

The City does not currently operate paid parking on public property, except at Mindarie Marina under a private-property parking agreement. That arrangement remains separate from the proposed city-wide model.

The Parking Local Law 2015 provides a framework for imposing parking conditions, but does not establish a paid-parking scheme or set fees. Parking time limits, signs, metered areas and any charges would need to be determined separately by the City under the applicable governance and local-law framework.

The committee’s position leaves public parking free across the City areas covered by the decision. It also leaves open the possibility of tighter controls in busy locations if further timed-parking measures are brought forward.

The discussion followed increases in parking-related customer requests and infringement volumes between 2021 and 2025. The committee also endorsed a strengthened education-first compliance approach, with written cautions, stronger documentation and officer discretion in suitable low-risk cases, alongside targeted enforcement operations for recurring offences.

For school parking, the written-caution period was reduced to the first two weeks of term one before infringement-based enforcement begins. Any further timed-parking locations will require later operational decisions by the City.