Parramatta Councillors will now urge the State Government to amend legislation to allow food trucks and stalls in Little India to stay open until 10pm.
A debate over the regulation of mobile food vendors on Wigram Street, Harris Park, has turned fiery at the latest Parramatta Council meeting, with one Councillor warning the small business owners to “stop bitching” about fines.
Councillor Paul Noack’s successful motion requested the Council advocate to the NSW Government for a change in legislation to enable mobile food trucks and food stalls on Marion, Station and Wigram Street to operate until 10pm.
Currently, under the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), mobile food vendors on Wigram Street can only operate until 7pm – a result of the street being zoned residential.
“If we’re fair dinkum about supporting Little India we need to make sure the vendors can have that operation with their trucks until 10 o’clock at night. They deserve to have it,” Noack said.
“Let’s not kill Little India, let’s support Little India, let’s get behind these great businesses here tonight.”
City of Parramatta said it has been working with mobile food vendors and residents in Harris Park area since 2023 to raise awareness of operating obligations.
It included a three-month enforcement amnesty between December 2023 and March 2024 to allow time for vendors to comply with the legislation, with fines only being issued in May.
Councillor Sameer Pandey acknowledged the work Council has done, but said they have a responsibility to support the small local businesses during the current cost of living crisis.
“I do want us to engage with the businesses so that we can support the businesses, ensure that the area is safe and also ensure that the character of Harris Park is protected,” he said.
“We want to make sure that the businesses not just survive, but thrive in our LGA.”
But not all the Councillors were on board with the food trucks in Little India.
Councillor Patricia Prociv said Harris Park residents are unhappy with the level of rubbish being created by the mobile food businesses.
“It has always been a vibrant eating area, it was a vibrant eating area 20 years ago, what has happened with the food trucks is that it is now a not-very-clean vibrant eating area because of the takeaway containers that are all over the street,” she said.
“A new resident said to me they were appalled about the disrespect shown by people who come to the food trucks in Harris Park, where they throw their rubbish all over the ground, it gets thrown into people’s front yards.”
Council’s CEO Gail Connolly confirmed they have received approximately 200 complaints from businesses and residents in Harris Park since the start of the year about noise, waste, illegal hooning of vehicles, light pollution and illegal alterations to heritage items.
The Council also revealed it costs $154,000 extra per year to clean Harris Park compared to other suburbs in the area.
Saying she’s “not a fan of food trucks,” Councillor Lorraine Wearne warned the mobile food operators in Harris Park not to complain to her about receiving fines.
“If in fact there was a six-month amnesty and people were given a warning about fines then they shouldn’t be bitching about fines now, because they should have known they were going to get them,” she said.
“I warn you, don’t anybody come grizzle to me about fines when they are doing something that’s not legal and they’ve been warned. You’ve been warned – pay attention.”
It comes after a petition, which currently has over 200 signatures, was started online to call on the Council to support food carts and stalls staying open for longer.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.