In one of the Most Sydney Things Ever, the City of Sydney council is revising the ban on fully-grown tax payers to stand up while eating and drinking in the outdoor spaces of CBD venues.
The 28-page council document Outdoor Dining Guidelines July 2021 states: “Outdoor seating areas can only be used by seated patrons consuming food or drink. Patrons are not permitted to eat or drink whilst standing in the approved outdoor seating area.”
Liberal councillor and former bartender Lyndon Gannon is proposing to bin the requirement, which holds an unfortunate hangover from when the lockout laws rolled through the city, and lord mayor Clover Moore’s is in full support of the move.
The council and state government allowed vertical consumption in outdoor dining areas as a temporary COVID-19 measure back in October, but only for operators who applied for a permit after that date. The new proposal will be a blanket lift on the ban. The proposal will first go on public exhibition, to see what Sydneysiders think of it, then we wait.
This is a particularly crucial amendment after the City of Sydney approved over 440 al fresco dining permits as a measure to boost the hospitality industry, which has suffered significantly post-lockout and throughout the pandemic. The council will also continue to waive outdoor dining permit fees through 2022 and 2023 at a cost of $2.5 billion in an effort to keep our city thriving.
Sydney's night time economy is only set to continue it's extraordinary expansion, as dining and bar precincts pop up across our city. Special permits have even been approved for select bars and restaurants to trade extra late during Vivid 2022, which is a welcome pat on the back for an industry that brings so much to our town.