In a motion to council on Tuesday night, Mr Carey requested the chief executive review the City’s rules and requirements for outdoor eating areas and investigate the possibility of removing the need for the City’s approval for the areas.
The motion was approved and the chief executive is expected to report by May next year.
Mr Carey said outdoor eating areas or alfresco areas were more common in Europe.
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READ NOW“It is quite a radical idea for Perth because, you know, we are the nanny state,” he said.
Mr Carey said cafes and restaurants that wanted to put tables out the front of their shop should be able to do so.
He said alfresco seating not only improved the street but also helped to reduce crime.
In his report, Mr Carey said the rules for establishing an outdoor eating area were not always simple or straightforward.
“If these rules were reviewed and revised to reduce or eliminate the need for City approval of outdoor eating areas, then it would be quicker, easier and cheaper for a business to establish an outdoor eating area, in turn incentivising outdoor eating areas in Vincent,” the report said.
“At present, outdoor eating areas can only be established and maintained if the proposed eating area complies with the City’s requirements and the City has issued a permit after the applicant has paid the required fee.”