Weymouth Harbourside shops plead to keep outdoor seating
Dorset Council's given them until the end of September to remove the benches.
Last updated 28th Jun 2022
Businesses along Weymouth's Harbourside say they're worried for the future after they were told to remove their outdoor seating.
Dorset Council has given The King's Arms, Nana Moon's and Bennett's Fish and Chips on Trinity Road until the end of September to take their benches down.
The seating was allowed under a special license to help the local economy stay afloat with outdoor dining during the pandemic.
Michelle Ludlow owns Nana Moon's. She said:
"In the summer and beyond people prefer to sit outside. We live here, it's not only our business so if we lose the seating, it's a good chunk of our business, we may have to stand up and leave, which is what we don't want because this is our ultimate dream to move into Weymouth and live here."
Michelle says she's happy for investment that's been pumped into Custom House Quay across the water, but it's hard to understand why the same hasn't been offered to her.
"We just want to be treated fairly. We look over there and think that's lovely. We just want to be treated the same, we just want to keep our four benches."
A spokesperson for Dorset Council said:
“During the pandemic, several temporary pavement licences were granted by Dorset Council, under the Business and Planning Act 2020 (Pavement Licences) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. This legislation was extended into 2022 due to the continuation of the pandemic. All licences and renewals granted under this temporary legislation amendment are set to expire on 30 September 2022.
“The licences provided to businesses along Trinity Road were only ever a temporary measure, allowing them to continue to trade during the pandemic while social distancing rules were in place, and to aid financial recovery once social distancing restrictions were lifted on 1 April 2022. We’re now asking businesses to remove their temporary outdoor seating by 30 September 2022, as was made clear at the start but which allows them to still profit from the summer trade.
"The legislation around sitting out licences is being decided by Government as part of the new Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which was announced in the Queen's speech on 10 May. Once the parliamentary process is complete, we will be able to engage with all businesses on their future needs."