Call for special measures including emergency pavement cafe licences to help save hospitality trade

Willard D Barber, General Manager of McConville’s Bros Ltd which also owns Ma Berry’s, said they are looking at new outdoor space for their customers.

And with the town buzzing after the shops reopened, Portadown Chamber of Commerce President Adrian Farrell said it was noticeable that the cafes were closed and said they were needed to retain footfall in the town.

Mr Barber said he had mixed emotions about reopening on July 3 but said they were awaiting guidance from Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council as well as from the NI Executive.

He is keen that businesses in retail and hospitality work together to help boost the town’s economy.

Mr Barber feels that even a temporary pedestrianisation of the town centre could help boost the town’s cafe culture and trade.

He is also looking at a large open space behind the Millennium Arts Centre which could work as a communal trading and cafe area - similar to the Christmas Markets in Belfast.

“At the minute there is no set-in-stone guidance. We are waiting on guidance from council and from government. Obviously, social distancing will be happening but it is whether it is based on the two metre or one metre rule. That is the big clincher for us.”

Those bars with beer gardens can open initially as can those who cater for food,

He hoped the council would use special powers to grant pavement cafe licences.

“It is time we pedestrianised some of the town, even if it is a temporary measure. Obviously it is vital at the minute that our high street in all aspects, both hospitality and retail, all work together and focus on our town centre.

“Never has it been more important for us to shop local and support local. We need to be working together.”

He said; “We are hoping the Executive reduce the social distancing rule from two metres down to one metre. With two metres we have less than 17% capacity and with one metre we can have closer to 50% capacity.

“For us to be in a position to trade commercially we would need to have at least 50% in order for the business to be economically viable.

“I know cafe culture may not be sustainable in the ABC Council area all the time but we need to take extraordinary measures now if we are going to try and save our local industry. If we can take even temporary measures towards the cafe culture to help alleviate the stress and make business viable, then that is what we need to do.”

He added: “We are looking at viable open spaces within town.”

He suggested the area behind the Millennium Arts Centre as an outdoor communal space that could be used by different traders including bars and cafes.

He said it would be ideal as a central cafe culture area, similar to those in Mediterranean countries, where a number of cafes, restaurants and bars can use the same area.

“It is an area that would be used by more than just one business. It could be a summer market with bars and restaurants - a bit like the Christmas market at Belfast City Hall.

“Nicola Mallon is obviously keen at the Department for Infrastructure, to help businesses.

“We are trying to operate safely but it does have to be economically viable for us after returning back to work after COVID-19.

“Council needs to recognise what spaces there are around the town that can be used by multiple businesses, including open spaces that are not currently being used or even consider pedestrianisation to allow for pavement cafes.”

Mr Barber was speaking after Department for Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey had said measures to help revitalise town centres included offering the use of departmental-owned assets and public spaces where this would be helpful to businesses and to make better use of Pavement Cafe legislation.

She said: “My department owns a number of sites within town and city centres which have been acquired for regeneration purposes. It owns a number of civic and public spaces in city and town centres and I will make these available where this is helpful, to support safe queuing, social distancing or spill out space for cafes, bars and restaurants, for example,” said Minister Hargey. “I have instructed Councils to work with my department to explore how we can help.

“I have also encouraged councils to make more use of the existing Cafe Pavement legislation and assured them I am committed to working with relevant stakeholders to resolve any issues that still remain around the implementation of licences in terms of planning and guidance.”

Meanwhile Mr Farrell said: “I am calling on ABC Council to take a flexible and pragmatic planning approach to the use of on street seating for cafes, restaurants, bars, beer gardens and similar out door areas to ensure social distancing.

“It is important to remember that the needs of those with mobility issues must be considered. It has to be sensibly done so there isn’t an obstacle course for someone who is in a wheelchair or is blind.

“It can’t just be a free-for-all in the town centre but a sensible approach so that cafes, restaurants and bars have a chance to survive,” he said.

As shops reopened last Friday, Mr Farrell said there was definitely more of a buzz in the town.

“The town centre is definitely busier but it still misses the buzz of the cafes. It is noticeable that they are still closed. People are coming into town and going home. There isn’t the ‘dwell time’ that we would have had before. If the cafes were open, it would encourage people to stay longer in the town. We need our cafes back open.

“I went into a few businesses in the town and I was very impressed with the measures they have taken re COVID-19,” said Mr Farrell.

“Certainly I believe town centres will be radically different in the years ahead and the Stormont departments and local councils need to consider all options to boos economic activity in all town centres going forward especially with the growth of online during lockdown.”

A Department for Communities spokesperson said: “The Department for Communities is responsible for the policy and legislation which regulates the sale of alcohol in licensed premises. The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service is responsible for issuing licences and the PSNI is responsible for enforcing the legislation.

“The use of public spaces by businesses, where the outdoor area is public land, is regulated by the Licensing of Pavement Cafés Act (NI) 2014. Each district council is responsible for issuing the pavement café licences which authorise a person carrying on a business involving the supply of food or drink (in or from premises) to place furniture temporarily on a public area. Where a local Council grants a pavement café licence for a bar or licensed restaurant, this has the effect of extending the area licensed for the sale of alcohol to include the area covered by the pavement café licence. Councils are the enforcement authority for this legislation.”

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