Council proposes extended parking limits close to school as pupil roll surges
Perth councillors are being asked to agree a public consultation on altering parking controls on a residential street that serves a local primary school after the school’s roll more than doubled in recent years. Planning and community services officers want to consider extending the existing two‑hour parking restriction on the eastern side of Northwood Street to as long as 10 hours per day, citing concerns about congestion during school hours.
The stretch of road under review runs alongside West Leederville Primary School, which is bounded by Woolwich and Northwood streets. School staff parking is very limited on site and partially accessed via a lane, leaving teachers and neighbours competing for on‑street spaces when pupils arrive and depart.
- Current situation: informal teacher permits have been used but were ruled not authorised under local parking law.
- Proposed change: vary the times of the two‑hour restriction on the eastern side of Northwood Street, potentially extending them up to 10 hours.
- Next steps: council to endorse the proposal for public comment at its next ordinary meeting.
Council officers will also ask the education and housing and works departments to produce a formal staff car parking management strategy for the school as a matter of urgency. The report notes that such a strategy should have been prepared when the school obtained permission for a second storey to its library and arts building in 2016, but no final plan appears to have been completed.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| School roll (2006) | 240 |
| School roll (current year) | 550+ |
| End of current informal permit arrangement | 25 September (close of Term 3) |
The school’s enrolment has increased from around 240 pupils in 2006 to more than 550 this year, intensifying pressure on the limited parking on and around the site. In 2024, rangers introduced informal parking permits that teachers could display to park all day in the two‑hour section of Northwood Street. The town later advised the school that those permits did not have legal backing and would no longer be effective, and the existing temporary arrangement is scheduled to end on 25 September, at the close of Term 3.
As an alternative to changing the timed restrictions, officers say the council could issue authorised teacher permits under local parking regulations, permitting staff to use the two‑hour bays during prescribed hours. The proposal will focus consultation on residents of Northwood Street between Cambridge and Vincent streets, reflecting the neighbourhood most directly affected by any variation to parking times.
The report also recommends that the council’s education and housing and works teams prioritise producing a car parking management plan for staff. That strategy is intended to set out measures for reducing on‑street pressure, for example by identifying designated on‑street teacher parking, improving access to on‑site spaces or considering staggered staff start and finish times. Officers describe the work as urgent, given the historical gap between development approvals and the absence of a completed parking strategy.
Parents, staff and neighbours will have the opportunity to respond once councillors decide whether to proceed to a formal public consultation. Any decision to extend timed limits or to create authorised permit schemes would be subject to the outcomes of that engagement and to the council’s usual traffic‑regulation processes.
For residents and school staff, the issue highlights the challenges posed by rapidly rising pupil numbers and constrained on‑site facilities. The council’s proposals aim to balance the needs of the school community with the parking needs of nearby households while ensuring any changes comply with local parking law.
“The strategy should have been developed when WLPS won approval to add a second storey… but it appears the plan was never completed,” the report states.
