Hobart makes street-side dining trial permanent, paving way for spate of new urban greening projects
Outdoor dining is likely to become a much more common sight at Hobart eateries after the city council decided to make a Covid-era trial permanent.
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Hobart is likely to see a spate of new outdoor dining options at local eateries after the city council opted to make a “really successful” Covid-era trial permanent.
The council began trialling street-side dining in the Midtown area in 2021
The initiative was then rolled out at three businesses – Straight Up Coffee + Food, Simple Cider, and Pilgrim Coffee – last year and involved reclaiming parking spaces for seating and plants, giving patrons the opportunity to eat and drink outside.
The Hobart City Council has now approved a five-year extension of the program and will open an expressions of interest process for other eligible businesses who may wish to participate.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the trial had been “really successful” and that she regularly received requests from restaurants, bars, and cafes wanting to take part.
“It’s really important for businesses to have opportunities for both indoor and outdoor dining and in Hobart, with our very narrow Georgian streets and narrow footpaths, there are very limited opportunities, which is why these outdoor dining spaces are such a good idea,” she said.
“We’re going to develop a policy so that it’s really clear for all businesses that are interested in these kinds of options to have some guidance about how to apply, what the … costs would be, what sorts of safety requirements [there] would be and what the arrangements would be with the maintenance of the plants and those kinds of things.”
Businesses looking to adopt street-side dining would be expected to pay about $2000 per annum to the council to cover the $10,000 cost of building the space.
The council said a survey had found that 94 per cent of the public supported the street-side dining trial, along with 88 per cent of surrounding businesses.
Straight Up Coffee + Food owner Tim Beaman said the experience of trialling street-side dining at his business had been “wonderful”.
“It just brightens up the street, makes the business more noticeable – not just our business but just businesses in general,” he said.
“[Customers] don’t have to be stuck inside – it’s as simple as that.”
Steph Nott was at Straight Up on Sunday to enjoy a meal and said street-side dining had become common in Sydney, where she was visiting from.
“When it’s a really nice sunny Sunday, sitting outside on the street and watching the day go by is really nice,” she said.
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Originally published as Hobart makes street-side dining trial permanent, paving way for spate of new urban greening projects
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