Laneway management

​Public lanes

There are approximately 900 public laneways within the City of Melbourne that were constructed in the mid-to-late 1800s by Council.

These lanes were paid for by the owners of their abutting properties at the time of the works. City of Melbourne has subsequently cared for and managed those laneways at their expense. These lanes are typically called corporation lanes or public lanes.

These lanes are now included in the Register of Public Roads, which is maintained under the Road Management Act 2004. To access the Register of Public Roads, go to Road Management Plan.

The general public and the owners and occupiers of adjacent properties benefit from City of Melbourne’s activities, including cleaning, maintenance, parking control and reconstructions in those lanes. They also benefit from the construction contributions of past owners. This is not unlike any property buyer benefitting from – and paying for – the on-site improvements and assets they purchase.

The City of Melbourne has substantial road maintenance and repair and reconstruction budgets for managing these lanes.

Private lanes

There are hundreds of laneways within the municipality that were not constructed by City of Melbourne. Typically these laneways remain in the ownership of the original subdividers in the 1800s when they were set out for rear property access, including night-soil removal. These are called private lanes.

Finding a current owner with any certainty is typically difficult, time consuming and sometimes expensive, as a title search is required and the land may be classified under a system other than the current Torrens system of registering land titles. City of Melbourne does not exercise care and management functions over private lanes.

Planning considerations

A property's access and servicing rights over adjoining lanes (whether they are public or private) need to be justified before a planning permit can be issued for a development proposal that relies on the existence of such rights.