Minute by the Lord Mayor
To Council:
Since the start of the pandemic, the City has
played a key role in supporting the economy and community by providing $149
million in funding towards grants, fee waivers, and rent relief. This includes
$52.5 million to support residents and businesses through grants and
sponsorship programs, including more than $3 million in food relief and quick response
grants to support vulnerable communities. It also includes $5.7 million in
revenue foregone from waiving fees for outdoor dining permits.
On 17 May 2021, to help hospitality venues
recover from the pandemic, the City waived fees for outdoor dining permits and
introduced a fast-tracked application process. Earlier this year we extended
the fee waiver until 30 June 2023.
In accordance with the Outdoor Dining
Guidelines, cafes, restaurants, bars and cultural venues can apply for an
outdoor dining permit on the footpath or on the road space outside their venue,
as long as it doesn’t interfere with bus zones, 50km/hr roads, clearways,
emergency parking, no stopping zones, cycleways or fire hydrants.
The City has supported over 500 businesses to
trade on footpaths and on roadways as part of the alfresco dining program, with
over 4,460 square metres in footpath space approved for alfresco dining. Our
latest March 2022 survey results show that 91 per cent of participating
businesses reported this program is crucial to their business, 74 per cent had
employed additional staff, and 39 per cent had experienced up to a 20 per cent
increase in turnover.
The fee waiver is due to expire because we no
longer have health orders restricting indoor capacities and people are
returning to the City. But with the threat of a new Covid wave and ongoing
economic uncertainty, there is a continuing need to encourage outdoor dining –
to support our businesses and give people another way to socialise and enjoy
being out in the city, safely.
The pandemic showed us we can use our public
spaces creatively. Outdoor dining supports local businesses, brings life to our
high streets and fosters dining and shopping precincts as destinations. We need
to continue to support businesses during this time and ensure alfresco dining
is embedded in the streets of Sydney. That is why I am proposing Council extend
the fee waiver for two more years.
However, our efforts to help businesses
should not be seen by others as an opportunity to increase rents or unfairly
favour some in the community over others.
We need to balance the needs of everyone who
uses our public spaces. The City should review the fee waiver before it
expires, to consider the economic circumstances at that time, the City’s financial
position, and the broader impacts and outcomes of the initiative in
consultation with businesses and the community.
On-street dining can continue under State
legislation, but only until 30 April 2023. After that,
businesses can apply to the City to use the road space. The community will have
the opportunity to comment on these applications as part of the Local
Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee process when they will be
reviewed by the City and Transport for NSW.
We know demand for on-street parking is high.
The City is also taking the opportunity to maximise outdoor dining and other
community uses through future public domain upgrades, just as we’ve done in
George Street and Crown Street, where we are proposing to permanently reallocate
road space to outdoor dining.
Council is considering the updated Outdoor
Dining Policy and Guidelines tonight. We have seen the community enjoy the
extension of these spaces at our recent Sydney Streets events and we believe
the reclamation of road space for outdoor dining will continue to revive the
City this summer.
COUNCILLOR
CLOVER MOORE
Lord Mayor
Moved by the Lord
Mayor, seconded by Councillor Scully –
It is resolved that:
(A) the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:
(i)
include
in the next draft budget to be submitted to Council for endorsement to go on
public exhibition an extension of the fee waiver for outdoor dining permits for
an additional two years until 30 June 2025 at a cost of approximately $4
million in revenue foregone;
(ii)
review
the use and implementation of outdoor dining permits prior to the expiry, in
consultation with businesses and the community, including options for and cost
implications of reintroduction of fees;
(iii) investigate locations where the footway can
be permanently extended into road space for outdoor dining; and
(iv) report back via the CEO update; and
(B) the Lord Mayor be requested to write to the
NSW Premier and Leader of the Opposition to request they commit to supporting
on-street dining with the funding and infrastructure needed to enable it to
continue.
Carried
unanimously.
S051491