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Date Published: 30/08/2023

Cartagena bars rail against decision to reduce their outdoor terraces

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Pavement terraces extended during the pandemic in Cartagena will have to be dismantled by the end of the week

Cartagena bars rail against decision to reduce their outdoor terraces

Bar and restaurant owners in Cartagena are up in arms over the City Council’s decree that they must reduce outdoor terrace space that was expanded during the coronavirus pandemic. A statement from the Association of Hoteliers and Businessmen of the Hospitality of Cartagena and Region (Hostecar) has criticised the lack of alternatives for businesses, claiming that the council has left them with few options.

However, a message from Cartagena City Council last weekend clearly stated that venues who wish to keep the extra outdoor space could formally request to do so before Friday September 1, and could keep using their expanded terraces until a decision is made.

“The extraordinary permits were granted during the pandemic and post-pandemic to help hoteliers maintain their businesses during capacity limitations and the subsequent crisis. Once this justification is finished, all the facilities must strictly adhere to what is authorized, so that hoteliers have the best legal guarantees and the rest of the users of the public thoroughfare recover spaces for pedestrian traffic, parking or circulation,” councillor José Ramón Llorca said in a statement.

He added that all requests from bar and restaurant owners will be studied by municipal technicians from Public Highways and the Infrastructure area, who will assess their impact on road safety and ensure the proposed terraces don’t interfere with pedestrians or parking spaces.

On the other hand, Hostecar accuses the council of taking away the terraces “at the worst moment.” A study commissioned by the organisation suggests that turnover fell by 12% during the summer months as people escape the heat of the city for the cooler coasts.

"Now that activity returns to the city, they take them away from us," they added.

According to hospitality workers, terraces "are a fundamental element in the development of the economic activity of companies in the sector, since customer consumption habits have changed after Covid-19 and people prefer to consume outdoors."

For this reason, they argued that "the removal of the terraces will drastically affect our billing and therefore will inevitably cause a considerable loss of jobs."

In other news: Climate crisis threatens tourism in the Region of Murcia

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena

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