Glebe Parklet

In 2015 and 2016 the Glebe Chamber built and hosted 2 innovative mobile trailer parklets along Glebe Point Road. The initiative was crowdfunded by the community, local businesses, Sydney City Toyota and the City of Sydney. The project was brought to a conclusion in January 2016 when the City of Sydney ceased to provide a parking permit for the parklets along Glebe Point Road. 

The trailers were bought from the Glebe Chamber of Commerce by the volunteers and designers who created them who have since formed an organisation called the People Parking Project (PPP). The PPP lobbyed the CIty of Sydney to find a way for the trailers to return to Glebe Point Road in 2016 to no avail. In 2017 their members contributed responses to the Council's draft Neighbourhood Parking Policy to request a parklet permit be introduced.  The PPP continue to be hopeful that the City of Sydney will eventually allow car parks in Sydney to be utilised for pedestrian focussed activity in the near future. 

What is a parklet?

A public space that provides seating, landscape elements and shade.  Parklets allow locals to use car parking spaces in a whole new way; as public verandas, eating areas, performance venues, workshop spaces, coffee spots, podcast studios and libraries.

Background...

In 2015, Glebe hosted the City of Sydney’s first ever mobile Parklet. The parklet activated multiple carspaces along Glebe Point Road and set the village's imagination on fire with 95% of locals surveyed wanting the parklets to remain permanently.  With a bumper trial under their belt the Glebe Chamber of Commerce went about building our own parklets and called on local architects Alexander Symes to design them and the Glebe community to fund them.  

The making of...

The aim was to make parklets that were even more mobile, more comfortable and more adaptable, sitting in customised car trailers. The project gained initial support from the City of Sydney with a small grant and a year of waived parking fees.  The Glebe Parklet Pozible campaign went live in July and saw 1 local architecture firm, 3 major sponsors, 30 local residents and 3 local businesses put their own time and resources in to make the concept reality.  

The launch...

The 2 trailers were built with volunteer labour in The Works Glebe's loading dock.  The trailers were built and launched at major sponsor Sydney City Toyota Glebe's headquarters with an afternoon of gardening workshops with ABC Gardening Australia's Costa Georgiadis, live music, DJs and live art.  Councillor Jess Miller remarked at the launch that "The Parklet is a real reflection of the character of Glebe. It's got such personality and so many different things going for it that when you put it all together...great things like this happen."