Outdoor dining program extended until end of June

close up of rediscover yarra bollard near outdoor dining space

Yarra’s successful outdoor dining program has been extended until the end of June 2021.

The temporary program launched in October last year to assist local business and allow them to navigate COVID-19 restrictions has been extended by three months.

At last night’s Council Meeting, councillors recognised the resounding success of the temporary outdoor dining program and the important role it has played, and continues to play, in Yarra’s COVID-19 recovery efforts.

The three-month extension will see outdoor dining parklets remain in the Yarra before being removed on 30 June, 2021.

The decision to extend outdoor dining in Yarra has come off the back of extensive community consultation with more than 2400 residents and businesses

These outdoor dining spaces have not only helped the economic recovery of our small local businesses, they’ve helped our social recovery by encouraging people to get outdoors and bring life back to Yarra’s streets after three Melbourne lockdowns.

Since October 2020, we have created over 480 additional outdoor dining spaces including 150 new footpath trading areas, 200 extensions to existing footpath trading, 130 on-street parklets and 8 large-scale outdoor dining spaces created through road or laneway closures.

Yarra’s Mayor Cr Gabrielle de Vietri said the three-month extension will help hospitality and retail businesses to safely serve customers and operate within COVIDSafe guidelines over the coming months.

“Yarra’s temporary outdoor dining program was aimed at giving local businesses the best opportunity to reopen and trade throughout our COVIDSafe summer.” Cr de Vietri said.

“As we continue to adapt to changing restrictions, we recognise that an extension to the program will give businesses a better chance of not only surviving but thriving into the future.”.

To date the survey of residents and businesses has shown:

  • 95 per cent of people surveyed wanted to see more of parklets both short and long term,
  • 84 per cent of residents thought that the parklets were a better use of public space and
  • 100 per cent of parklet operators said their customers love their parklet.

We are continuing to review the way outdoor dining could look in Yarra in the future and we encourage you to continue to have your say here.

/Public Release. View in full here.