There are currently 85 pavement cafés in Belfast with temporary licences which were set to run out this month.
A council officer’s report states. “A few licensed pavement cafés, in particular in the city centre, are now becoming a source of complaint from adjacent businesses and from members of the public.
“The nature of those complaints relates to the size of the area being used, the area affecting footfall and trade to adjacent businesses, furniture not being removed at the end of trade, and the impact on early morning deliveries.
“We also have reports that the council’s cleansing and waste management crews are experiencing difficulties in getting their vehicles into empty bins and cleaning the streets as pavement café furniture is not being removed at the end of trade.
“Additionally, the pavement is not being cleaned and litter generated by customers using the area is not being collected by the business. This is contributing to the ongoing cleanliness issues in the city.”
The report went on to propose a permanent licence scheme with a return to a fee structure which was waived during the pandemic.
However, councillors instead supported a proposal by Sinn Féin to extend the temporary licence for a year. Councillor Claire Canavan told the chamber: “I know the temporary process was put in place to assist businesses in the road to recovery during the pandemic, but I think it is still safe to say there are a lot of businesses still on that road.”
