Pavement tables rule change costs cafe 'thousands'

Ted Hustler said he had reduced staff hours at his Tasca Frango restaurant because of changes to pavement café licensing

A cafe owner has said his business has lost "thousands" in takings since rules around pavement seating were changed to accommodate wheelchair users.

City of York Council introduced the new guidelines in October 2023 after disability rights groups raised concerns about accessibility.

Tables outside cafes must now be arranged to leave 4.9ft (1.5m) of pavement space free, and in some areas they are no longer permitted.

Ted Hustler, who owns Portuguese restaurant Tasca Frango on Colliergate, said he had lost between £300 and £500 each day after outdoor tables on the street were banned to prioritise Blue Badge parking.

The council's transport executive member, councillor Kate Ravilious, told a meeting on 19 July that she wanted to support businesses while maintaining access for everyone.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that licences for outside seating would remain unavailable to businesses in Goodramgate to Colliergate and Blake Street to Lendal, following the decision to restrict them to Blue Badge parking.

Mr Hustler was speaking after attending a meeting with council officials on Monday to discuss the impact of the changes on businesses.

He said he had made cuts to staff hours at his restaurant to try to "claw back" some of his losses and estimated the total loss of up to 20 business affected by the changes in the city centre added up to around £2m.

Mr Hustler told the meeting he could "see the rationale for Blue Badge holders to come through the city centre", but added: "As far as I can see we're averaging four cars a day on Colliergate."

He said a compromise was needed with a "case by case approach rather than broad brush strokes".

However, he said the damage had "already been done" and it was "too late for this year as summer is the busiest time" for outdoor dining.

Mr Hustler asked council officials whether there had been any analysis of how the pavement café licence changes had affected small businesses

Transport, planning and environment director James Gilchrist previously said the council was clear that in the city centre it would "prioritise the road space for parking and access for Blue Badge holders in the two access corridors, whilst recognising that those businesses on those streets would be unable to obtain a pavement café licences".

Mr Hustler said he felt the council was "beginning to listen" and anticipated some change to the pavement café policy "further down the line".

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