End of extended outdoor dining in Bendigo nears as licenses expire

During the COVID-19 pandemic, venues including those along View Street, Bull Street, Hargreaves Street, and others across the City, were provided with funding for marquee tents, barriers and other equipment to set up seating in carpark spaces.

Two rounds of funding came from the state government and ended in July this year, and while some of the changes are in place until October, businesses will have to pay per seat if they wish to serve alcohol.

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According to Wine Bank on View owner Mark Coffey, the cost is $65 per seat, per year.

During COVID the measures were welcomed as density requirements limited the number of seats the popular restaurant could have.

"Also during the Elvis Presley exhibition when we were doing twice the numbers a day of what we normally do, it was also great to have those extra seats then," Mr Coffey said.

However, the temporary marquee out the front has been deemed no longer necessary.

"Without a big event like that on, we already have 24 seats on the foot path, and then another 12 inside our alcoves... before you enter the building there's 36 seats. If we fill all of those we're going pretty well before we even need to fill our courtyard out the back."

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Mr Coffey said he's aware that Wine Bank has about 120 seats before the extra seating, and some other venues don't have the same luxury.

For him, the cost of $65 a chair is "just not worth it".

"We're already paying for the 24 on the footpath, an extra 30 chairs at $65 a year, plus the cost of putting them out every day when they're not being used," he said. "For us it's economics in not continuing with it."

Manager of economic development at the City of Greater Bendigo, Ben Devanny, said the City is looking to work with businesses that wish to continue with the extended outdoor dining on accommodating something permanent.

He said there are "about 25" venues using the temporary measures and some may still see the benefit of more seating.

"We had over 50 have temporary measures and as density requirements have changed we're down to about 25 across the city, and about two-thirds of them have a liquor license," he said.

"They come to an end there and we want to work with businesses, the ones that do want to extend on a more permanent basis, on what can be accommodated.

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Mr Devanny said the temporary measures were "huge" during the height of the pandemic, however times have changed.

"A lot of businesses are struggling to find staff and some aren't finding it as beneficial as it once was," he said. "But then we also know there's other businesses that are still really seeing the benefits of it.

"We don't quite know how many businesses are going to want to go permanent, we'll work on a case by case basis with them.

"Some nice weather would help too. If it could stop raining more people would want to go outdoors, but that's outside our control."

Mr Coffey said another consideration is the aesthetics of the temporary measures.

"It's ugly with all the concrete blocks," he said.

"During COVID it was okay because there were desperate measures... but now that COVID is not in our face as much as it was and we don't have the same requirements, I think it's time to let it go."

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