Newington - Proposed Special Event Parking Scheme (SEPS)
Background
As Sydney Olympic Park continues to be a growing entertainment precinct, Newington residents have raised concerns regarding event attendees parking on local streets in Newington during major events. This has also posed a challenge for emergency vehicles, which require a minimum 3.5m travel lane width, however the first stage of implementing new traffic signs have been implemented in several areas following consultation.
The second stage will consider a Parking Scheme. The strategy has been to identify and prioritise traffic and pedestrian safety in the first instance and then look at options to address the amenity impacts being experienced by residents and encouraging use of public transport by event attendees.
Proposed Special Events Parking Scheme (SEPS)
Following initial community support for a Special Event Parking Scheme (56% in 2019 and 65% in 2025), Council is now seeking feedback from residents, businesses and stakeholders to inform a decision on whether to proceed with the SEPS proposal.
At the 9th June 2026 Council Meeting, the chamber resolved to undertake community consultation on a proposed Special Event Parking Scheme (SEPS) and associated parking fees in Newington to manage parking demand and traffic flow during events at Sydney Olympic Park.
Residents are encouraged to submit their feedback at https://participate.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/newington-parking-restrictions
For more information and details, please read Council's report at https://docspublished.com.au/CityofParramatta/document/2a3ec58f-0b0c-4a30-9fbb-8fa1ae9b9038
**Answers to FAQs below can be found at the bottom of the Participate Parramatta page.
Early consultations and actions
- What enforcement has Council undertaken to ensure compliance?
- Where can I find information on past community consultation outcomes and decisions related to Newington parking and traffic issues?
SEPS general information
- What are some pros and cons of having an SEPS?
- I don't want my zone included but am happy for the SEPS to proceed elsewhere.
- When the SEPS is activated, will it change other parking rules in the area?
- Why do only events with more than 60,000 visitors trigger the activation of an SEPS? What about smaller events?
- How can I plan a gathering to avoid SEPS-activated periods?
- Why can’t I park in any zone within the SEPS area with my permit?
- Is a preschool considered a school or a business when applying for a permit?
- Are there any exceptions for people with a disability or mobility parking permit?
- Why is Council seeking feedback on the fee for visitor parking permit scratch books but not other parking permit fees?
- How is Council communicating and consulting with impacted residents and businesses on this proposal?
SEPS permits
- Would I need to display a physical parking permit?
- How much would it cost to replace a parking permit?
- When do I need to renew my parking permit(s)?
- Can I transfer my parking permit to another vehicle during the year, for example, if I buy or sell a car?
- Why are scratch-card visitor parking permits proposed for this area instead of the transferable hardcopy permits used elsewhere in the LGA?
- Why is there a cost for parking permits?
- Does everyone in the area need to purchase an SEPS permit if the scheme goes ahead?
- The proposed maximum permit number is not enough for my household, visitors or business – what can I do?
SEPS signs
- How big are the new SEPS signs?
- Can the number of proposed SEPS signs be reduced if the scheme goes ahead?
MORE INFORMATION
Special Event Parking Scheme design consideration
- A SEPS restriction would allow all motorists that do not have a permit to park in the area for a maximum of 2 hours when the SEPS is activated. Permit holders would be exempt from the 2 hour restriction. The total duration of the activation is envisaged to be in the range of 4-12 hours depending on the event. For the Royal Easter Show, the scheme would be activated for up to approximately 12 days (with set hours each day).
- If implemented, the SEPS is to be divided into approximately 7 areas. Permits (resident or visitor) could only be used in the applicable area. All areas would be activated for the same dates and times. Therefore, if residents provide visitor permits to event attendees, then the event parking would occur in the area of the permit holder, and on-street parking would be more widely distributed (rather than all the event parking being concentrated in the streets closest to Sydney Olympic Park (SOP). The intention is to stop the ‘visitors’ that get a permit from all parking in the streets closest to SOP to go to an event, which would congest these streets. The division in areas would spread out this ‘visitor’ parking.
- The SEPS would not impact any existing parking restrictions within the area, including the recently installed No Parking and No Stopping restrictions, and would only apply to areas where motorists can currently legally park for more than 2 hours. Newington Public School and businesses located within the proposed SEPS area would be eligible for staff parking permits (but not the visitor permits).
- If implemented, it is proposed that the SEPS would be triggered for events that would result in 60,000 or more people visiting SOP (approximately 15 times per year) plus the Royal Easter Show. This is because events with lower attendances are more frequent and do not generate the same level of traffic and parking implications as larger events. Due to the size of venues in SOP the 60,000 figure creates a relatively clear distinction between events that would require activation of the scheme and those that do not. It is only the main stadium and entire showgrounds that have capacity for such events. More frequent use of the SEPS would likely compound disadvantages for the majority of residents and their visitors in Newington on a regular basis as discussed below.
- Benefits of a SEPS include:
- It would encourage use of public transport by event attendees.
- There would be a high vacancy rate of parking spaces making it easy for parking permit holders to get on-street parking.
- It would reduce issues of noise and traffic from event attendees returning to their vehicles.
- Disadvantages of a SEPS include:
- Special Event Parking would shift parking to other areas including in other LGAs
- Residents in Newington that live closer to Sydney Olympic Park, would not see any benefit for smaller events that do not trigger activation of the scheme
- The scheme would inconvenience residents that live further from Sydney Olympic Park as they would need to purchase permits, even though they would have been less frequently impacted by event parking
- Some residents may sell their visitor permits to those attending events
- Reduced on-street parking may result in higher speeds
- High vacancy rate for parking is an inefficient use of a community resource
Proposed Fees
This is consistent with Resident Parking Scheme areas near the Parramatta CBD, each household within the SEPS area would be eligible for a maximum of two Resident Parking Permits. The proposed annual permit fees for the SEPS area would be consistent with those currently charged in existing Resident Parking Scheme areas. Permits would be issued in electronic format only, with no printed option available. As per existing Resident Parking Scheme arrangements, proof of residency would be required to obtain permits.
Each business (excluding home businesses) located within the SEPS area would be entitled to a maximum of two business parking permits. The businesses are generally retail and on the northwest boundary of the scheme area in the mixed-use multi-level developments. The public school could purchase one permit for every teacher or staff member. The proposed business parking permit fees for the SEPS area would be consistent with those currently charged in the existing Business Parking Scheme area in the special character area of Harris Park.
Visitor permits would be issued under a new scheme using books containing 10 scratch permits where each permit is valid for a single day. The cost of the book would be $50 for 2026/27 and each household would be able to purchase a maximum of three books in each year. Council may provide an electronic version of the visitor permits in future.
Summary of Issues
- On-street parking is a public resource and is generally not considered to be the domain of residents fronting the streets. The main areas where Council has installed Resident Parking Schemes previously are near the Parramatta CBD where the schemes are designed to encourage greater use of public transport by employees or tertiary students. These schemes are often installed on one-side of the street leaving the other side unrestricted for residents that choose to not get permits and others visiting the area.
- A SEPS in Newington would encourage greater use of public transport at SOP by event attendees. However, this could create a precedent that if applied elsewhere would restrict on-street parking for other venues such as CommBank Stadium during evenings or on Sundays where streets currently have unrestricted parking.
- It is considered that the first phase of the strategy to address safety and convenience concerns generated by event parking in Newington has been successful in directing parking to locations in a manner that protects emergency vehicle access and general driver sightlines, while discouraging blocking of access ramps and footpaths.
- In the second phase, a core issue for major event parking in Newington is whether the on-street parking, which is considered from a traffic perspective a wider community resource, and not an exclusive Newington resource, should be left under-utilised if a SEPS is implemented in the interest of requiring event attendees to use public transport, resulting in a greater public benefit. It is considered that the streets of Newington can function satisfactorily with high levels of on-street parking, though it is noted that some residents do not share this view. It is also considered that it is appropriate to have high vacancy rates for the on-street parking during major events with the aim of encouraging public transport use, and the next step should be to consult the community on a proposed SEPS.
- Subject to Council approval, the proposed SEPS would be placed on public exhibition for a period of 28 days. Consultation is proposed to be carried out via the following channels:
- Participate Parramatta
- Corflute signs on every street and at places of gathering within the proposed SEPS (e.g retail area, schools, parks, bus stops, car parks, community centre)
- Social Media
- Letterbox drop to all residents
- Flyers/Factsheets for businesses and other interested stakeholders
- Drop -in session at Newington Community Centre
- Letters to stakeholders such as adjoining councils, SOPA and Police.
Previous Community Consultation
Newington residents have been consulted on the introduction of a Resident Parking Scheme (RPS) and/or Special Event Parking Scheme (SEPS) on 3 previous occasions.
Stage One (February to March 2019):
314 responses
- 56% supported the installation of a parking permit scheme in Newington (either SEPS or RPS).
- 42% indicated that parking restrictions were not required.
- Of the 175 respondents that supported the installation of Parking Permit Scheme in Newington, 124 (71%) respondents selected RPS and 51 (29%) selected SEPS as their preferred parking option.
Stage Two (February to April 2020):
Only the areas with majority support for a parking permit scheme were consulted in Stage 2
337 responses
- 94 respondents (28%) supported the installation of a RPS.
- 195 respondents (58%) opposed the proposal.
- 48 respondents (14%) were neutral.
Based on these outcomes, Council did not proceed with the installation of a RPS in Newington.
Recent Consultation (April to May 2025)
Consultation in two parts. One aspect related to specific ‘No Stopping’ and ‘No Parking’ restrictions in parts of Newington. The other aspect was related to strategy options for parking schemes and one-way restrictions. 336 responses
- 67% supported a SEPS.
- 62% supported one‑way street restrictions.
- 48% supported a RPS.
Financial Implications for Council
- There are approximately 2,800 dwellings within the proposed SEPS area. Based on the 2021 Census Data, 55.9 percent of households in Newington have two or more vehicles. Considering that a number of these households will make use of their garages and therefore not need on-street parking, it is believed that an estimate of 50 percent of households would be applying for resident parking permits. This would equate to approximately 1,400 resident permit applications.
- Permit applications are assessed by Council’s Customer Service team which take approximately 15 minutes per application. Based on this, the staff costs to assess the applications would be approximately $20,000.
- In order to mitigate against the improper use of visitor permits, Council would use a scratch book style system where each resident would be able to purchase up to three books per year containing 10 permits each. For the permit to be valid, the day of use would need to be scratched off, displayed on the dash, and the permit would be valid for a single day only. It is estimated that each book would cost Council $10. It is estimated that 10 percent of households would make use of the visitor permit books, with each household requiring an average of two permit books. This estimate may be price sensitive and may be an underestimate if a substantial portion of residents host visitors or provide permits to event attendees. These assumptions would result in 560 books per year at a cost $5,600 plus an additional $7,800 for staff to process applications for the visitor parking permit books.
- In accordance with Council’s advertised Fees and Charges for 2026/27, a resident parking permit would cost $19.30. Based on the estimates above, this would mean that Council would receive a total of $27,000 for resident permits. It is proposed to charge $50 for each visitor parking permit book. Based on the estimates above, this will mean that Council would receive a total of $28,000 for visitor permits.
- A total of 467 new signs will need to be installed throughout Newington to implement the restriction. Based on initial quotations for the supply of the signage by suppliers, and Council staff labour costs for installation, it is estimated that installing the signage would cost $65,000.
- Further to the above, a SEPS will need to be activated on each occasion through the installation of time plates on each of the nine entry signs. The costs for this for an estimated 15 special events in a calendar year, including the removal after each event, is estimated to be $13,000.
- Based on the above, it is estimated that Council would receive approximately $55,000 annually from a SEPS in Newington. However, issuing the permits and replacing the time plates for the scheme would cost approximately $46,000. This results in a surplus of approximately $9,000 (excluding the capital and maintenance cost of the signs). The initial cost in establishing the scheme is approximately $65,000 and additional maintenance in future years would be required, particularly as signs fade.
- Costs exclude consultation, maintenance of signs, preparation of reports, monitoring, advertising changed parking conditions (if approved) and administration. Most of these costs would be funded by reprioritising and funding from existing budgets (i.e. some maintenance works such as line marking and rubber speed cushions will need to be deferred to the next financial year).
Have Your Say
Residents are encouraged to submit their feedback via Council's webpage