Outdoor Dining in the Pyrenees Shire
Published on 16 December 2020
Residents may have noticed the roll out of new outdoor dining barriers for hospitality businesses throughout the Pyrenees Shire.
The barriers have been built and installed as part of the State Government’s Outdoor Eating and Entertainment package, which provided $250,000 for councils to improve outdoor dining in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual hospitality businesses were also able to access up to $5000 to buy outdoor furniture to further enhance their alfresco dining.
More improvements are planned in the lead up to Christmas, including the installation of planter boxes and other infrastructure to support outdoor dining and footpath activation.
Beaufort’s Pyrenees Pantry owner Samantha Thayer welcomed the new barriers.
“The barriers have given our town of Beaufort some consistency and street appeal, which assists with the overall feel of the town and enticing visitors to spend time here,” Ms Thayer said.
Business owners have also observed that more people are dining outdoors.
“I’ve noticed that since the outdoor barriers have been installed and we’ve got our seats towards the road rather against the shop, we’ve had a lot more people using them,” Beaufort’s Café 56 owner Michelle Hawkes said.
Mayor Damian Ferrari said Council has taken the lead with the project.
“We understand how tough this year has been for the local business community, so we’re excited that we’ve been able to assist businesses to improve their outdoor dining experiences as part of the COVID-19 recovery,” Cr Ferrari said.
“We’re really hoping that local people and visitors get out and enjoy eating outdoors, particularly over the warmer months,” he said.
The café barriers have been installed to support hospitality businesses with the required footpath frontage. Their installation will encourage the use of sidewalk spaces for outdoor dining and generally enhance the feel of streetscapes.
Other local businesses have also benefited from the funding package. The planter boxes are being fabricated locally and the plants will be supplied by a local nursery, while the ongoing care of the plants has also been contracted out locally.
In consultation with local hospitality businesses there will be further efforts to improve the outdoor dining experience in the Shire in the new year.