ALFRESCO RESTART PACKAGE ANNOUNCED

The streets of the Hunter will come alive post-lockdown, thanks to a raft of initiatives and $66 million in funding that will see alfresco dining, outdoor activations and events return.

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Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said the local hospitality industry had borne the brunt of the recent lockdown and the NSW Government was committed to supporting them.

“We’re ripping up red tape and getting Government out of the way to let businesses do what they do best,” Mr Martin said.

“We want to give our restaurants, bars, cafes and venues the ability to open up more than they have before and welcome more customers to enjoy a bumper summer.

“Alfresco dining is not only a great way to dine, it’s a safer way to socialise as we open up. After a long winter, it’s time for the community to enjoy a meal or drink in the sunshine and the NSW Government is committed to helping businesses do that in time for summer.”

Mr Martin said the Government’s Alfresco Restart Package will help businesses get back on their feet after a long winter in lockdown.

“After many months in lockdown, the community is ready to enjoy themselves, so we’ve thrown out the rule book with new temporary alfresco measures, while also making last year’s trials permanent,” Mr Martin said.

“In addition to the permanent easing of rules for dining on footpaths and public spaces, we’re temporarily allowing outdoor dining on privately-owned bowling greens and carparks, meaning businesses can expand outdoors on almost any piece of land they own to welcome more customers.”

The Alfresco Restart initiatives being rolled out from November include:

• The Festival of Place - including the Long Summer Nights Program at the Rocks, Darling Harbour and The Domain, Streets as Shared Spaces Program, Summer Night Fund Program and Open Streets Program;

• Emergency temporary alfresco measures for outdoor dining in parks or on private land with the owner's consent; and

• $5,000 grants for hospitality businesses to establish new alfresco settings;

• Permanent outdoor dining as an exempt development for pubs and small bars state-wide.

This package is part of the NSW Government’s efforts to slash red tape and support businesses and communities to recover from the pandemic.

For more info, visit: https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/alfresco-restart-package