City Sydney invests $20 million to outdoor dining upgrades – BeanScene

Almost 150 temporary on-street dining areas in the City of Sydney will be transformed into footpath extensions according to City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, as part of the city’s attempts to help breathe new life into its outdoor dining culture.

The city started offering public footpath and road space to businesses in 2020, with more than 2600 applications approved in the six years since. It estimates more than 1000 businesses have benefitted from the scheme, creating 16,000 square metres of new space on roads and footpaths.

Three quarters of businesses have said the boost in customer numbers as a result of accessing this outdoor space has created the need to hire more staff, with more than one third seeing a 20 per cent increase in turnover.

The Lord Mayor says the upgrades will create a more vibrant and accessible outdoor dining scene in the city.

“It’s wonderful to see people out on the streets, connecting with each other and enjoying the neighbourhood while supporting local businesses,” she says.

“These latest changes will further enhance outdoor dining experiences while making the city more accessible for those passing through our streets.

“Our priority is to ensure Sydney continues to have a thriving outdoor dining scene while maintaining sufficient space for others.”

Up to $20 million has been allocated to the project, which will begin in early 2027 and progressively take place over the next eight years.

The scope of the project includes the removal of temporary concrete barriers, the construction of footpath extensions, and the creation of safer separations between people dining and moving traffic.