Since the start of the pandemic, the City of Sydney supported more than 500 businesses to trade on footpaths and roadways as part of our alfresco dining program.
We worked closely with the NSW Government to introduce the alfresco dining program and waived outdoor dining fees at the end of 2020.
Our fast-tracked application process made it easier for businesses to be part of the program and earlier this year extended the waiving of outdoor dining fees until 30 June 2023.
Council has now approved the extension of fee waivers for an additional 2 years until 30 June 2025.
Outdoor dining supports local businesses, brings life to our high streets and fosters dining and shopping precincts as destinations.
We have seen our communities enjoy the extension of these spaces at our recent Sydney Streets events and we believe the reclamation of road space for outdoor dining will continue to revive the city this summer.
There’s a continuing need to encourage outdoor dining – to support our businesses and give people another way to socialise and enjoy being out in the city, safely. With that in mind, we will investigate locations where the footway can be permanently extended into road space for outdoor dining.
Cafes, restaurants, bars and cultural venues can apply for an outdoor dining permit on the footpath or on the road space outside their venue, so long as they meet the criteria outlined in our outdoor dining guidelines.
Published 22 November 2022, updated 15 February 2024
