Owners of restaurants, bars and cafes in Busselton's central business district had a win at council last night when a motion to make changes to its alfresco dining policy was unanimously passed.
The policy was first adopted in December 2018 when City of Busselton councillors agreed to allow businesses on Busselton's main streets use a parking bay for alfresco dining.
The policy was introduced to support 'the activation and sustainability of Busselton's city centre by facilitating an expansion of the number and scale of alfresco areas associated with cafes, bars and restaurants.'
The council had previously agreed to the policy if proponents carried out the work to develop an alfresco area, in return they would be given a two-year fee free period before a fee was introduced for land use.
Since the policy was adopted city officers worked with proponents and identified a need for the city to carry out works to develop a space for alfresco dining.
In instances when the city carried out work, a recommendation was made by officers that proponents should pay a fee from commencement of work rather than a two-year fee free period, previously agreed to.
Councillor Ross Paine raised a motion, which was supported by councillors and city officers, that alfresco approvals would be subject to conditions that required minimum trading periods for a minimum of six months of each year.
Proponents would need at least two trading times which included Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm, Sundays from 9am to 2pm or at least three nights per week from 5pm to 8.30pm.