The need to support business recovery from effects of Lockdown - COVID: Auckland Council

Member’s Report – Member van Tonder
September 2021

The need to support business recovery from effects of Lockdown
& COVID:

Following 18 months of regular and protracted Level 4 lockdowns in Auckland our business
communities and town centres are suffering. With the Delta variant of COVID proving itself to be
highly contagious it’s becoming increasingly clear we won’t be returning to previous levels of trade
any time soon. Impacts on businesses are severe and we were already seeing this play out with
frequent shop closures in our town centres. Terence Harpur and the TBBA have begun to lobby
government to provide additional and longer-lasting financial aid to businesses because Levels 3 & 2
still prevent them from operating in a financially sustainable way, never mind recover the losses
they’ve endured.

At level 4 trade in Takapuna is 96% down, at level 3 it’s 85% down, and level 2 it’s still 50% down. As
we know office workers not returning to their place of work has also impacted the viability of town
centres, as day-time dining and shopping significantly reduces.

We’ve learned that at level 2 hospitality can only serve a maximum of 50 patrons in a restaurant but
is enabled to serve up to 100 outside. I’m not yet certain how this can happen unless Council helps
by creating additional outdoor dining space.

Auckland Council has a role to play here to support economic recovery. There are things that can be
done that will make a measurable difference for our businesses:

    •   Increase footpath widths using tactical interventions, take space from road corridors and
        support hospitality to make use of outdoor dining opportunities.
    •   Set up covered outdoor dining infrastructure, repurpose old bus shelters or create additional
        shelter from rain & wind for outdoor tables.
    •   Waive outdoor licensing fees and refund those businesses who have already paid them.
    •   Waive additional liquor licensing fees that may be triggered by operating outside.
    •   Waive entirely, or offer payment holidays on compliance costs such as food safety fees,
        inspection fees, alcohol license fees.

We need not reinvent the wheel, as cities all over the world have acted with agility and supported
businesses in similar ways.

Examples include the ‘Extended Outdoor Dining (EOD) programme in Melbourne. “The goal of the
EOD program has been to expand the tradable area for hospitality businesses and to revitalise the
inner city. We found that the program was successful in helping to cope with indoor dining
restrictions by creating an additional 18,000 outdoor seats for cafes, restaurants and bars. The
economic assessment indicated a range of positive results for the broader economy and individual
businesses… Businesses and general community were overwhelmingly positive about the program
with 96% of people stating that they felt that the EOD program was a good addition to the city.”

Following the changes 800 people were surveyed and an additional 300 intercept surveys took place.
An economic analysis was also completed. It was found that 92% of respondents strongly supported
continued outdoor dining, including Council creating more outdoor dining spaces by reimagining on-
street parking bays. 88% of respondents believed extended outdoor dining does, or may, make it
more likely people will eat or drink in the area. 92% of businesses in the outdoor dining program felt
it created a positive atmosphere, as did 75% of businesses not in the program. 78% of businesses in
the outdoor dining program stated it increased their revenue.

https://urbis.com.au/projects/parklet-and-extended-outdoor-dining-program-evaluation-
victoria/?fbclid=IwAR1XsbBNBCdz2J-T1svD4bFiABI_RmB0YBVj9X6-dzt-9WE0zzcXf54kW8w_

https://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/Business/Helping-business-navigate-COVID-19/Outdoor-dining-
program-
evaluation?fbclid=IwAR27Y_wkjHZFX3SCKI7nZsxs7hbrJWrAwp4mGeZ4rXvzWjDYGqRSROHA80U

In Hoboken New Jersey the local council created a FastTrack process that offers immediate
pandemic assistance to small businesses who would benefit from increased outdoor space in order
to recover. They call them strEATeries and parklets. There they are maximising outdoor capacity and
fees are waived. There’s an expediated approval process as well as an ability to extend outdoor
liquor licensing in a faster manner. (https://www.hobokennj.gov/resources/covid-19-small-business-
recovery-strategy?fbclid=IwAR2cSkn-r83mtpYDbdUd1a27ThUi1qqrZRBySU9NzqPBBFlr3D7t5F2qGJk)

There’s also a health business street guide made by the Washington State Department of Health that
states: “Community and business activities, including restaurant dining, are safer outdoors during
this COVID-19 pandemic.” The street guide offers configurations of streets that allow businesses to
move their trade to the outdoors to minimize risk. It discusses sidewalk extensions, slow streets,
curbside dining, plaza and market designs and other alternative designs.
(https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/environmental-health/~/media/depts/health/environmental-
health/documents/publications/healthy-business-streets-
guide.ashx?fbclid=IwAR1vZ8jVWtCfj7U7TwJ8lxdsFvIjqCMppQD3_02OPhBFpKi3QMk2qVbj318)

Below are some images of covered/protected outdoor dining spaces that can be used in all-weather.
These examples are only a few of the many that are available to us. Our job now, is to show
leadership and advocate for swift regulatory and physical change to support our businesses to open
their doors and keep them open throughout the next challenging year ahead.

I would like to see that this Member’s report be forwarded on to the CEOs of Eke Panuku, Auckland
Transport, Auckland Unlimited and to the Governing Body to be considered with urgency.