About 400 people have so far given their view on whether outdoor dining in Hobsons Bay should be kept beyond March, with Altona traders launching a campaign for it to stay.
Hobsons Bay council is continuing to seek feedback from community members, visitors and traders about their experiences of outdoor trading and whether it’s something they would like to happen again.
It was the Altona Village Traders Association that initially led the call for road closures and outdoor dining to keep restaurants and bars alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Village Traders’ representative Ilch Mickovski said many businesses feared the end of the initiative, slated for March 31, which had activated strips like Pier Street.
“The campaign for us at the moment is to keep this activation alive forever,” he said.
“It’s not a short-term decision that we’re looking at – we’re looking at long term because COVID’s not done and dusted, there’s still COVID in the background.
“I think what we’ve seen is, people have actually enjoyed this space – it hasn’t been just traders, it’s been the community – and every person we speak to, we get that feedback.
“We’re developing a campaign from the trader associations to speak to community members, speak to traders, and make it as difficult as possible to pull outdoor dining or outdoor activation out of Hobsons Bay.”
Hobsons Bay mayor Jonathon Marsden said the council wanted feedback.
“Over summer, council worked closely with local businesses to reopen safely and extend outdoor trading areas,” he said.
“We welcome feedback from all Hobsons Bay traders, visitors and community members on the outdoors program, to help us decide what trading might look like beyond 31 March, 2021.”
Give your feedback at www.hobsonsbaybusiness.com.au/outdoorsfeedback
