Media Release
City Vision-Labour Councillors - Auckland City Council
For Immediate Release
Thursday 12 March 2009

City Vision-Labour Seeks Balance in Outdoor Dining

City Vision-Labour councillors of Auckland City Council are welcoming the development of a draft policy on outdoor dining.  After a lengthy debate, the draft policy to regulate outdoor dining facilities across the city was endorsed and officers will now undertake consultation with key stakeholders.

At today’s Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee meeting, City Vision Councillors Glenda Fryer and Cathy Casey tried unsuccessfully to move a number of amendments to the draft policy on outdoor dining to ensure greater pedestrian access and safety, and that street amenity was not compromised while encouraging the enjoyable ambience of outdoor dining through balanced regulation.

Councillor Fryer made a number of suggestions to help improve the pedestrian thoroughfare through outdoor dining areas including increasing the minimum unobstructed pedestrian corridor to 2 metres instead of the proposed 1.8 metres.

“Our draft policy says operators of private businesses need to keep 3 metres free of all obstacles for pedestrians in Queen Street and 2 metres in the Central Business District and Newmarket but elsewhere it is 1.8 metres.  I suggested that, like Christchurch City, we have a consistent 2 metre rule across the city but allow discretion in popular eating areas with narrower footpaths like Kingsland.”

Councillor Fryer said she was concerned that outdoor dining might encourage more on-street advertising particularly that screens and street furniture would be used as liquor advertisements.  She said that Council needs to get the balance right between public walking space and private dining experiences.

“I am concerned that patrons often move street tables and chairs and create hazards for pedestrians so I suggested that the footpath be discreetly marked at the limits of where tables and chairs are allowed.”

Councillor Casey said she was concerned about people with a disability having to manoeuvre around obstacles and crowds.

“I would have preferred the policy to have made it clear that the premises manager must not allow crowds to block the footpath or tables, chairs and patrons’ belongings to creep into the public thoroughfare.”

Another issue that was debated and lost was host responsibility for clearing up the cigarette butts and ash from smokers.  Councillor Casey called for “wind proof ashtrays”.

“I just hate going to an outdoor table where a smoker has been and the table top is covered in ash which has blown from the fancy glass ashtray.  It would be far cleaner and safer is to insist that premises offer smokers wind-proof ashtrays,” Councillor Casey concluded.

ENDS

© Scoop Media