Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle revealed on Tuesday he had received advice repeating what legal and homelessness experts had been telling the council for months: that the ban could infringe on people's human rights.

Law firm Maddocks found outlawing camping could restrict people's right to move freely in Victoria and also "conceivably" result in cruel or degrading treatment or punishment.

Cr Doyle said this advice meant it was far from assured that the proposed bylaw would be compatible with Victoria's Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

"I have no doubt that any change to the local law would be tested in the courts, which could tie us up in expensive legal proceedings potentially for more than a year," Cr Doyle said.

"Whether you win or lose, you lose. You lose in time, you lose in the people you're trying to help, you lose in dollars."

Instead of new laws, protocols have been implemented based on existing local laws, allowing compliance officers to remove rough sleepers' camps.

Council officers are able to confiscate such belongings as mattresses or tents if they have been left unattended, if they impact on the enjoyment or use of public space, or if they block the entrances to buildings.

Rough sleepers are also encouraged to keep their belongings to a minimum of two bags that can be carried, with limited bedding such as a sleeping bag and pillow.

If homeless people pack up when they leave the area during the day, they won't break the rules.

"We will continue to operate under this protocol with Victoria Police and evaluate its effectiveness after another six months of operation," Cr Doyle said.

Plans for a camping ban were first announced in January following intense media coverage about the appearance of a homeless camp at Flinders Street Station in the lead-up to the Australian Open.

The proposed bylaw would have expanded the definition of camping, preventing people from sheltering in swags or blankets, according to lawyers. It also sought to ban people from leaving any items unattended in public.

But the proposal was strongly criticised by homelessness and human rights groups. The United Nations special rapporteur on adequate housing dubbed it a serious international human rights concern.

It is understood the council had been looking at how it could retreat from the policy in the face of the discouraging legal advice. Meetings of a council committee conveyed to discuss the issue have been repeatedly adjourned.

Cr Doyle said he didn't think Tuesday's decision was a step back from changing the bylaws.

"I think this is a step up. We probably weren't using the existing powers sufficiently," he said.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton was an early advocate of changing the bylaws and had previously declared there was "no reason people should be sleeping on the street".

But he said on Tuesday the trial of the protocols was working.

"To the lord mayor's credit, he has shown we can use the existing laws ... he's probably proven me wrong," Mr Ashton said.

Police have been supporting compliance officers to remove belongings if rough sleepers don't comply.

Mr Ashton said it was not a criminal offence to set up a camp.

Begging had been dealt with more aggressively by police, Mr Ashton said.

"So we've been making arrests, taking people before the courts with the Salvation Army making sure those people are diverted to a Salvation Army program if there are issues relating to poverty," he said.

"But where they're not, they're just coming in to hassle people for money, we're dealing with them down the criminal justice process."

Tuesday's news was welcomed by homelessness groups, including the Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Jenny Smith.

"This approach adopts the lessons learnt from overseas, which show that punitive laws do not have a positive practical impact on homelessness, rather directly causing harm to people who are homeless," Ms Smith said.