TO: The Lord Mayor and Councillors, City of Melbourne

We, the undersigned, call on the City of Melbourne to immediately restore safe and reasonable parking access to the Victorian Artists Society at 430 Albert Street, East Melbourne.

In December 2025, the City of Melbourne removed three 15-minute loading zones at the entrance to the Victorian Artists Society, without warning or consultation, and implemented new parking restrictions that have eliminated all practical parking access to this 155-year-old heritage arts institution.

The Victorian Artists Society is a not-for-profit community organisation that has continuously served Melbourne from this location since 1870. We serve over 680 artist members, provide studio sessions to approximately 400 recreational and professional artists, and welcome hundreds of gallery visitors and members of the public annually. A significant proportion of our members are elderly, lower-income individuals, and pensioners who rely on reasonable parking access to participate in our cultural and educational programs.

THE IMPACT

The new parking restrictions have created dangerous and discriminatory conditions, including:

SAFETY HAZARDS

No designated safe area exists for loading and unloading valuable, fragile artworks for exhibitions. Elderly and disabled members cannot safely access the building from distant parking locations while carrying art materials and equipment. Members are forced to carry heavy artworks across multiple street blocks in traffic.

OPERATIONAL IMPOSSIBILITY

Standard art classes run 2.5 hours, but maximum parking is now 2 hours. Exhibition changeovers involve 150+ individual artists delivering and collecting works within a few hours, occurring fortnightly. Event staff, catering deliveries, and solo exhibition installations require vehicle access that no longer exists. The organization is already experiencing direct loss of income due to access issues.

INADEQUATE ALTERNATIVES

Morrison Place parking is allocated exclusively to hospital staff and is frequently unavailable. Morrison Place loading zones are too far from the building entrance and are occupied by hospital service vehicles and rubbish bins. The 10 accessible parking bays identified by Council are not within safe walking distance for people carrying artworks. 'No parking' zones do not provide sufficient time for safe loading/unloading of heavy or fragile artworks. Demand for available spaces far exceeds supply during changeover periods.

DISCRIMINATION

The new regulations effectively exclude elderly, disabled, and less mobile community members from participating in community arts programs. The Council's own Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2020-2024 commits to 'safe, accessible and reliable parking at major destinations' - yet this heritage cultural institution has been denied basic access.

WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR

We call on the City of Melbourne to:

1.    Immediately reinstate appropriate loading zones with at least a 15 minute allowance at the entrance to 430 Albert Street to ensure safe loading and unloading of exhibition materials and safe access for elderly and disabled visitors

2.    Extend parking time limits in the immediate vicinity to a minimum of 3 hours to accommodate the actual duration of art classes, workshops, and community events

3.    Reconsider the allocation of underutilised parking bays in Morrison Place, particularly those designated for hospital staff that frequently remain vacant

4.    Consult with the Victorian Artists Society before implementing future parking changes that will directly impact operations and community service delivery

5.    Recognise the special circumstances of long-established, heritage-listed, not-for-profit cultural institutions when developing parking policy in the area

WHY THIS MATTERS

The Victorian Artists Society has been a valued contributor to Melbourne's cultural life for more than 155 years. We provide affordable art education, maintain a heritage building of cultural significance, and offer a welcoming space for people of all ages and backgrounds.

These parking restrictions undermine our ability to serve the community and create barriers to cultural participation for vulnerable populations. The City of Melbourne should be supporting community cultural institutions, not creating obstacles to their operation.

We seek only reasonable parking access to enable us to continue serving the Melbourne community as we have done since 1870.