This article has been updated on 13 August 2026 to address the building compliance considerations relevant to this question.
Question: The committee has been asked to convert a parking space into a disability parking bay. Can the committee approve this, or does it need to go to a general meeting, and what type of motion is required?
The committee has had a request to transform one of the parking bays into a disability parking bay. There are no other disability parking bays on site. It will not be an exclusive use parking bay but open to any resident or visitor.
Is this something that the committee can vote on, or does it have to go to a general meeting? If it goes to a general meeting, what sort of motion would be needed? We are a 13-lot unit complex with exclusive-use carports and 10 general parking bays that are very seldom used.
Answer: Converting a bay to disability parking is an improvement to common property, and the approval level depends on the cost.
William Marquand, Tower Body Corporate
The change of a parking space into a disabled parking space would classify as an improvement to the common property.
There may be some variations if you are in a commercial complex, but generally the conditions for authorising the improvement depend on the cost.
The Body Corporate and Community Management (BCCM) Office provides the following table on its website outlining the limits:
| Improvement limit | Cost of improvements | Authorised by |
|---|---|---|
| Basic improvements limit | $300 x the number of lots in the scheme, subject to the committee’s spending limit. | Committee resolution at a committee meeting. The committee cannot spend beyond its spending limit of $200 multiplied by the number of lots unless that limit has been increased by an ordinary resolution of the body corporate. If the committee’s spending limit has not been increased, the committee could not approve more than $200 per lot. The committee cannot approve an improvement exceeding $300 multiplied by the number of lots, even if the committee’s usual spending limit is set at a higher level. See committee spending. |
| Ordinary resolution improvement range | More than the basic improvement limit but not more than $2,000 x the number of lots in the scheme. | Ordinary resolution of the body corporate at a general meeting. There can be only 1 such approval a year. |
| Other | More than $2,000 x the number of lots. | Special resolution of the body corporate at a general meeting. |
As your scheme has 13 lots, the basic limit for committee approval is $200 per lot, so $2,600. If you have extended the limit, it may be $3,900.
Neither amount is very high in the modern economy. It is long overdue for legislation to increase these rates.
So the next step is to get a quote for the change and then determine if it can be approved within the committee limit or whether you need to go to a general meeting.
Andrew Francis, Safer Buildings
While the committee’s decision-making process under the BCCM Act may be relatively straightforward, converting a parking space to a disability parking bay can also raise a separate question: is the alteration permissible under the Building Act, the Planning Act, the relevant planning scheme, and any conditions attached to the original development approval? These are worth checking before settling on an approval pathway under strata legislation.
Some of the areas to consider include:
- Development approval conditions. The original development approval may have set out the number, location and dimensions of visitor parking spaces, accessible spaces, or overall parking supply. Converting an existing bay could take the building below an approved minimum, for example if visitor parking numbers drop as a result.
- Planning scheme requirements. The local planning scheme may set its own minimum number of accessible parking spaces based on the building’s use or classification. Adding an accessible bay is generally a good outcome, but converting another required space to do it may create a separate planning compliance issue.
- Building Act and National Construction Code (NCC). An accessible parking space is more than a wider painted bay. Where an accessible parking space is required or proposed to be provided as a compliant accessible space, the design generally needs to consider the applicable NCC requirements and referenced Australian Standard, AS/NZS 2890.6, including minimum dimensions, a shared access aisle, gradients, signage and line marking, and an accessible path of travel to the building entrance. Because of this, a standard bay often can’t simply be re-marked as an accessible one without first considering these requirements.
- Fire safety and access. Any alteration should also be checked against emergency vehicle access, fire hydrants, hose reels, exits and required clearances, to make sure none of these is affected.
These sorts of issues show that body corporate approval is often only one part of a broader compliance picture. This doesn’t mean every parking bay change will require multiple separate approvals, but it is worth checking the applicable building, planning and development approval requirements before committing to a particular approval pathway or undertaking the works.
This post appears in Strata News #805.
William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au
P: 07 5609 4924
Andrew Francis
Safer Buildings Group
E: contact@saferbuildings.com.au
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