Outdoor dining infrastructure boosts local hospitality businesses

Forty-two Ballarat hospitality businesses will have new outdoor dining infrastructure installed, including umbrella sockets and/or glass wind protection barriers.

This will allow cafes, hotels, and restaurants to expand their dining footprint – especially due to COVID-19 restrictions – while also protecting patrons from local weather conditions.

The program is funded by the State Government’s Outdoor Dining and Entertainment Package, with the City of Ballarat receiving $500,000 for both its Outdoor Dining Hub Program and the Outdoor Dining Infrastructure Program.

A further $500,000 has been included in the City of Ballarat’s 2021/22 budget to CBD Outdoor Dining and Streetscape Activation.

Discussions with Ballarat businesses indicated the weather, rather than space, was the biggest outdoor dining impediment so a special request was made to the State Government to use a large portion of its funding on weather protection infrastructure.

In total, 71 hospitality businesses applied for the infrastructure, with 42 successful.

Applications were assessed for maximum community and economic benefit, with there being a range of reasons why not all requests could be approved. The budget was limited, however there were also other reasons such as insufficient footpath space or the site being Crown, not Council land.  

The objective was to distribute the available infrastructure in the most beneficial way possible, to satisfy as many requests as possible.

A City of Ballarat mySay survey also showed 70 per cent of respondents approved of outdoor dining and that they would be prepared to walk to active outdoor dining spaces that were aesthetically pleasing, with good design and weather protection.

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Daniel Moloney said the outdoor dining activation would create the right balance of immediate outdoor eating spaces, while also providing longer-term alfresco dining options.

“We will also continue to seek further outdoor dining funding opportunities,” Cr Moloney said.

“The City of Ballarat’s 2021/22 budget has also included $500,000 towards CBD Outdoor Dining and Streetscape Activation, with $200,000 a carryover from the State Government grant.”

Wendouree MP Juliana Addison said: “Congratulations to the hospitality businesses across Ballarat who have been successful in their applications for grant funding. It has been a very challenging time for our cafes, pubs and restaurants and it is so important that the State Government, City of Ballarat and local community support them.”