Plan to revitalise the sidewalk economy in CBD continue to grow

MEDIA STATEMENT BY ALDERMAN JAMES VOS, MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH

The City of Cape Town is still offering to fast-track applications by eateries to lease and expand onto neighbouring sidewalks. This initiative complements the evening street closure offering and aims to offer all establishments the opportunity to welcome more customers as the increased space will offer more room due to social distancing. Read more below:

We hope that this will also encourage residents to enjoy outdoor social activities, which has been shown to decrease the risk of Covid-19 infections and improve the safety of patrons, while maintaining social distancing and all necessary health protocols.

Covid-19 forced us to think out of the box and look at new innovative ways of doing things. We need to look at exciting initiatives and partnerships that does not need a lot of investment and assist restaurants in dealing with social distancing. Getting our economy back and in better shape is a collective responsibility. We will also launch other exciting initiatives aimed at the informal economy in due course.

According to the Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s annual report, the CBD is 1,6 square kilometres and at the end of 2019, the CBD housed just over 3 300 businesses of which 151 are restaurants. The option to rent the sidewalk was the first of many interventions aimed at assisting the revitalisation of the CBD. The Economic Growth Directorate’s initiative aligns nicely with the Mayor’s recent closing of streets for open-air dining and events activities.

Early in the new year, I will be making announcements regarding our plans to stimulate the informal economy, as well as kicking off a study on how to build 24-hour economic activities and other CBD revival measures.

To find out more about this initiative and to put in an application, establishments are encouraged to visit Invest Cape Town’s website here: http://wordpress-local:8081/apply-to-rent-sidewalks-at-a-reduced-rate/