Al fresco a good start in purge of red tape

It’s quite remarkable to realise that al fresco eating was only legalised in the island in 1999. But the efforts made by the Environment & Infrastructure Committee to enable more al fresco eating along the Quay last summer have been built on with its latest report to the States on the subject. Restaurateurs who benefitted from the trial said it had a positive impact on takings.

It can’t be doubted that the current arrangements for al fresco licence applications is cumbersome.

Applicants are required to advertise twice in La Gazette Officielle, consult with various States Committees and the relevant Constables at least 28 days prior to a court date, where they need to be represented by an advocate who presents the application to the Royal Court.

‘This is a complicated, expensive and time-consuming process and anecdotal feedback suggests that some businesses are not applying for a licence because of this,’ the committee says.

So it makes sense, and is in keeping with the spirit and speeches of this government, to seek to remove that red tape. It fits with the Government Work Plan in seeking to unlock enterprise and to invest in the island’s tourism product.

The proposal is to introduce broad al fresco zones, where neighbouring establishments can set up chairs and tables with a much-simplified application to the States, rather than the court, at the same cost. It had been proposed by some that parish authorities could have handled al fresco applications, but that has obviously not been pursued.

E&I says that the application process could develop over time and perhaps it would be of benefit for the way that an extension of liquor licences for al fresco service is handled, to be reassessed at an early stage.

The policy letter contains just two lines in relation to alcohol licences, so it’s not explained why, but seeking to change the process for an al fresco licence, but to still require applicants to go to court for permission to serve alcohol at the same table, seems rather counter-intuitive to the efforts to make al fresco easier.