Parramatta Eat St light rail fight ramps up
Embattled restaurateurs say they would rather “burn the umbrellas’’ rather than use the cheaper versions the state government is providing the famed outdoor strip.
Parramatta
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Restaurateurs on Parramatta’s Church St dining strip are locked in a battle with the state government to cough up $2 million to install adequate shelters that won’t ‘blow the bastards over’ once alfresco dining returns in August.
Traders and Parramatta Council say the umbrellas Transport for NSW plans to provide are poor quality and have inadequate shade, heaters and guttering compared to the ones that protected customers before light rail construction started.
“That water’s going to drop all of you and splash all over you,’’ Mama and Papas owner John Chammas said.
“Firstly Church St is a bit of a wind tunnel. If we’re going to rely on good weather for outdoor dining, we’re restricted to three months a year.”
Plans include 21 extra umbrellas, taking the total to 50. The old structures did not fit the rail alignment but Mr Chammas said he would rather “burn the umbrellas’’ than have the cheaper versions that made diners uncomfortable.
Business owners and Parramatta Council said the proper shade cloths would be $2 million.
Now they are demanding the government foot the bill and fulfil a promise to properly compensate businesses adversely affected by the controversial $2.4 billion light rail network.
Parramatta Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer said the government was leaving the council to deal with a responsibility that was not theirs and called for proper shade structures.
“It (the wind) will blow the bastards over,’’ he said.
“If it rains everyone gets washed away and because the umbrellas aren’t wide they don’t cover the tables. The restaurant owners are distressed and we’ve got to do the best for them. This is their livelihood.’
Parramatta Liberal councillor Bill Tyrrell slammed his own government’s failure to consult businesses and for flouting the agreement to cover the cost of the shelter.
“They’ve got to cough up funds for us because otherwise we’re going to end up with a retail street instead of an eat street,’’ he said.
“From their (traders’) point of view it’s just not worth doing. If you can’t get enough bums on seats you can’t make money.
“We welcome the billions of dollars of investment in Parramatta but I strongly believe if you engaged in consulting from the beginning two years ago with the business owners you would not be in this position.
“I believe Transport for NSW has let us down badly.’’
A TfNSW spokeswoman said the council agreed in writing for the shelters — but the council denied this.
“Since 2017, TfNSW has always consulted with businesses through multiple channels, including the Business Reference Group which now has 21 business members,’’ the spokeswoman said.
In January, traders revealed the light rail would cause 70 per cent of their dining space to be wiped out because TfNSW has opted for trees instead of shelter that lined Church St.
That will lead to nine out of 20 businesses being stripped of their outdoor dining licences and alfresco space slashed from 544sq m to 153sq m.
TfNSW has since reversed its decision to plant 11 trees along the dining strip but the aftermath will still sting businesses such as San Churro cafe which can no longer serve customers outside.
The 12km Parramatta Light Rail from Westmead to Carlingford is expected to open in 2023.
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