The Paris city council says it wants to add new regulations for outdoor displays and terraces to the current by-laws dating from 2011.
The new regulations are being discussed in "consultation workshops" with employers' unions within the hotel and catering industry, residents' associations (Vivre Paris) and district mayors.
The consultations got underway last week and will continue over the coming weeks. They are expected to be voted upon at the next Paris Council on 6 July.
According to Olivia Polski, deputy in charge of trade at the mayor's office, "there are a number of things to review - on aesthetics, accessibility, cleanliness and safety."
The questions of street noise and respecting the "sleep of local residents" is also at the heart of the debate.
La Ville de Paris avait annoncé en septembre dernier vouloir revoir, pr juillet, son Règlemt des Terrasses, qui datait de mai 2011. La concertat• a donc commencé la semaine dernière, s/des sujets comme esthétique, propreté, accessibilité, nuisances etc. https://t.co/mJ0UcENaVH
— Olivia Polski (@OliviaPolski) April 27, 2021
Local town halls to review extension requests
Polski added that the measures will allow for legislation to be better suited to dealing with "ephemeral [temporary] terraces" that were installed in parking spaces in spring 2020, when restaurateurs could make the request by a simple declaration to the police prefecture.
This automatic declaration will come to an end and bars/restaurants extension projects will be "subject to authorisation" from the city services and vetted by the town halls of each arrondissement.
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Polski also added that the new extensions of outdoor terraces could become permanent and subject to the "right of terraces" - suspended since the beginning of the Covid pandemic - which are paid for by hospitality professionals, like conventional on-street facilities.
However, the price will be lower than that of the latter, whose median price is 425 euros per year.
Transition period before by-laws come into force
"In the meantime, there will be a transition period: the current free system will be maintained until the end of June," Polski added.
In the event of a breach of the regulations, fines can go up to 500 euros, under a legislative measure adopted by the city in December.
Paris has 15,427 bars, restaurants, cafés and brasseries, of which around 12,000 have a terrace.
Some 9,800 requests for extensions (including 9,000 relating to the occupation of parking spaces) have been made by Paris' hospitality sector.
Since the start of the pandemic, measures to support the sector and the exemption from patio rights have reportedly cost the city some 34 million euros.
