Council orders Sydney coffee off the street
City of Sydney council has rejected a Sydney cafe owner’s application to continue operating a mobile coffee cart leaving him thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Following the decision Laneway Dumplings and Momo owner Santos Tiwari took aim at the council, accusing them of stifling small businesses.
This is the second council decision in a matter of weeks that flies in the face of the government’s decision to revive Sydney’s hospitality scene. While, Tiwari’s business is not nightlife affiliated, he will no longer be able to serve customers from a small coffee cart set up during COVID.
The cart is located on Temperance Lane off George St and offers officeworkers a bargain caffeine fix at just $3.
The council has now deemed the cart “inconsistent with its planning controls”.
The council has accused Tiwari of operating after a noon limit, not keeping within approved serving areas and leaving the cart in the street overnight rather than indoors.
“The coffee cart operators have been warned about many of these matters on several occasions through email, phone call, an on-site meeting and a letter sent to the applicant by email,” a council report added.
Tiwari is calling for the council to reconsider its decision.
“It was just a coffee cart that was offering snacks and coffee – it wasn’t blocking the footpath and wasn’t hurting anyone he said,” he said.
“Customers loved it and it seems silly we can’t use it.
“The cart really helped as after Covid because for small businesses it’s been hard to get up and going again and the amount of foot traffic in the CBD still hasn’t fully rebounded.”
The council's decision to reject Tiwari's application comes despite their recent extension of a program encouraging hospitality businesses to operate on footpath areas. This program involves waiving alfresco dining fee applications until June of next year.
Tiwari is now attempting to sell the cart, which he purchased for $16,000. He also spent an additional $5000 on his planning application to have the cart approved by the council.
“We’re probably only going to be able to sell it for $5000 but we haven’t found a buyer and at the moment it’s just sitting covered in the laneway,” he said.
Tiwari believes the crackdown could be a result of competing cafes complaining about the cart.
Jonathan Jackon, 22nd August 2024
