By Danielle Kutchel
There have been mixed reactions amongst retailers to a new outdoor dining space on Pakenham’s Main Street.
Seven car parks in Main Street have been removed to make way for a new outdoor dining space as part of Cardinia Shire Council’s trial Parklet Project.
The Parklet Project is part of preparations for a Covid-safe summer.
Pop-up outdoor dining areas have been created in both Main Street and Lakeside Boulevard as part of a three month trial to encourage diners to visit local cafes and restaurants and eat outdoors.
But the owners of Jeff’s Main Street Meats are angry at the removal of the carparks, which are directly outside their shop.
They say they’ve even lost business because of the changes.
Owner Michelle said the shop was never contacted by the council about its Parklet plans.
“It was done in the Christmas week when it was crazy busy – removing carparks when parking is already ridiculous,” she said.
Many of her customers weren’t aware that they could park around the back of the shop and walk through to the butcher, she added.
She said the loss of the immediate carparks could impact elderly customers who would now have to walk further to do their shopping.
The Parklets are temporary, with the initial trial period set to end in March 2021.
The wooden seating in the Parklet on Main Street is currently surrounded by orange traffic barriers – and Michelle said many customers had complained that it looked like roadworks.
“The public is disgusted, it looks terrible,” she said.
“We would never have agreed if the council had asked us.”
But a representative of Twisted Sista Cafe and Gelateria just next door said the new arrangement had in fact been a boost for their business.
She said staff now feel safer when taking food outside, as they no longer tiptoe along the edge of the road when serving customers.
The new flooring provides a much more stable base for umbrellas, the representative added.
She said the council had provided Twisted Sista with a month’s notice of the planned changes and asked whether they agreed with it.
“The council has never looked after us like this before,” she said, adding that she believed the same had been done for all cafes and restaurants in the area.
Manager of the Great Australian Bakehouse, Lyn, said she too was pleased with the outdoor dining area.
“On sunny, nice days, it’s been really good. We’ve had more dine outside than inside,” she said.
“It’s got a good feel to it and looks fabulous.”
She confirmed that the council had spoken to her business about their plans.
“We knew what was coming. They said they were planning outdoor dining and said, ‘are you happy with that’, and I said I’d love it.
“I’d seen how well it had gone in Berwick and I said I’d love you to do something for me. We definitely heard about it before Christmas, but it was a fairly quick turnaround.”
She said she could understand the frustration of the butcher’s shop, with much of their most convenient parking now gone, which could impact through-traffic.
Cardinia Shire Council economic development coordinator Tim Cooper insisted that all nearby businesses had been warned of the impending installation of the Parklet.
“All businesses in the immediate vicinity of the Parklet Project trial were notified about the new initiative and, where relevant, offered the opportunity to participate,” he said in a statement.
“Leaflets were also provided to participating businesses and the owners were encouraged to talk to their neighbours about it.
“Council has not received any complaints about the trial Parklet Project.”
He said the removal of the seven carparks on Main Street had provided space for 20 extra outdoor dining tables, with no accessible carparks impacted.
