Why Perth was slow to jump on the alfresco dining bandwagon
Independent think-tank, the Committee for Perth has released a report detailing the city’s slow and cautious uptake of outdoor dining.
The report, 'What We Thought Would Kill Us', details Perth’s negative stance to outdoor dining despite its near perfect climate.
It seems Perth has been opposed since 1977, when Italian migrant Nunzio Gumina applied for permission for three outside tables for his Papa Luigi's on Fremantle's South Terrace and was almost instantly denied.
Outgoing chief executive of the Committee for Perth Marion Fulker told ABC Radio Perth’s Geoff Hutchison, "There was sort of two real lines of argument: one, public health and two, safety.
"We had been a colony that had had disease spread, and that had remained in our Health Act and it hadn't become more contemporary," she said.
"The health inspectors would come and say, 'This isn't safe and it's not sanitary', and the council inspectors would come and say, 'You're using the footpath for commercial purposes'."
Gumina was eventually allowed a three-month trial due to the work he was doing with 'delinquent' young men in Fremantle.
His success inspired others and the strip became known as the 'cappuccino strip'.
The rest of Perth caught wind. However, it wasn’t until 1985 when state legislation and food hygiene regulations were introduced that the times really started changing.
A further catalyst for full change was a win in a yacht race in Newport, Rhode Island ahead of Perth hosting the America's Cup defence in 1987.
The state government anticipating that international visitors would expect a drink with dinner in an outside venue. The state government instigated outdoor liquor licences for an 18-month period, ending in June 1987.
The licences were here to stay, however since then there has been continuous friction between café owners and overly officious councils.
Just six years ago, the City of Perth rejected a bid by its hospitality sector to expand its alfresco service in the Northbridge area for just one day a week in summer.
It took three years for the council to pass new outdoor dining laws. It was 2019, just before COVID hit.
"Often communities feel like an idea has just been forced upon them, there's a location and it's coming to you soon, and you should just get on board," Fulker said.
"We're probably not very good at the messaging.
"If you recall Hillarys [marina] … people lay down in front of bulldozers, and they said, 'This cannot happen, you cannot develop on the coast'.
"And now it's one of the most popular places in the northern suburbs on a warm day."
AHD - 24-10-22
