Yellow toy convertible sparks parking dispute at Bondi Junction luxury block

A dispute over a tiny, yellow ride-on car has ignited a broader debate inside a premier Bondi Junction apartment block, where residents say a toy vehicle is clogging a space meant for motorcycles. Elizabeth Huang and her partner purchased a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment in the Whitton Lane complex for $2.5 million in 2021, joining a 14-storey building finished in 2022 that houses 122 units, rooftop gardens with harbour views, and a suite of amenities including electric vehicle charging stations, car wash bays, and car-share options. The couple’s contention centers on the underground car park, which Huang says was built to accommodate cars, motorcycles, and scooters but which currently has a spot reserved for motorcycles that she says is not in use by anyone else.

Huang has parked her child’s compact yellow ride-on in a space she describes as being designated for motorcycles, arguing that the toy car is a safe, recreational vehicle for her child and not a bulky storage item. She contends the space is underutilized and that the vehicle, which she says does not take up more room than a motorcycle, should be allowed to remain in place. In response, she has launched a Change.org petition asking the strata committee to permit the ride-on to stay in the underground garage and has signaled her intent to raise the matter at the strata committee meeting scheduled for October 15. The petition frames the request as a practical, family-friendly adjustment that would not disrupt safety or order in common areas.

Premium Strata chief executive Leanne Habib summarized the legal hurdle for residents seeking non-standard vehicles in shared spaces, noting that the development application (DA) for Whitton Lane laid out the required number of bays for cars and motorbikes and that the owners corporation does not have the authority to overturn those conditions without a modification approved by council. Habib stressed that while the idea of a toy car may seem minor, council processes exist to ensure there are enough spaces to prevent congestion on the street and to maintain orderly, safe access for all residents. She said it would be impractical to interpret the toy car as the same as a motorcycle in terms of space usage or safety and warned that disagreements over parking are among the most common disputes handled by strata disputes.

Huang argues that the issue should be treated with a family-centric lens. “This petition is about asking the strata committee to consider a practical, family-friendly approach,” she said. “The ride-on car is not bulky storage or clutter; it’s a safe recreational vehicle for our child, similar in nature to the motorcycles the spaces are designed for. Allowing it to be parked neatly in a motorcycle space will not inconvenience other residents. Instead, it helps make our building more inclusive for families, while maintaining order and safety in the common areas.” She hopes to present her case to the strata committee and believes that an amendment could reflect a more flexible use of space within the constraints of the DA.

The Whitton Lane complex, which costs about $225 million and sits on Spring Street, was completed in 2022 and features a dedicated underground car park that was built to accommodate a mix of vehicles, including cars, motorbikes, and scooters. The building’s underground layout includes 23 spaces designated for motorcycles, among a broader array of parking options intended to serve residents with a range of mobility needs and vehicle types. While there is no published precedent specifically for toy cars, NSW authorities have heard similar arguments about non-standard vehicles such as scooters, trailers, or unregistered vehicles in shared spaces, leading to formal complaints and tribunal hearings in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

The residents’ case highlights a broader tension within Australia’s upscale apartment market: how to balance growing family needs with strict strata rules and city planning constraints. Council and strata officials emphasize that decisions impacting shared spaces are not made in a vacuum; they must align with DA conditions, safety guidelines, and long-term planning for common areas that serve hundreds of residents. The dispute also arrives amid ongoing conversations about making luxury blocks more family-friendly without compromising safety, access, and fairness in how common spaces are allocated and used.

For Huang, the next step is to present her petition and proposal at the October 15 strata committee meeting, hoping for a modification or a formal exception that could set a precedent for similar requests in the future. For Habib, the focus remains on upholding the DA’s requirements and ensuring that any change would not reduce the number of spaces available to residents, would not create congestion, and would preserve the integrity of the complex’s shared facilities. In the meantime, the story at Whitton Lane is a reminder that even seemingly small, personal items can spark meaningful debates when they touch on livelihoods, family life, and the daily rhythm of a community living in close quarters.