CE’s Policy Address includes plans to streamline outdoor seating approval for restaurants

_{Casa Tapas Bar was recently closed owing to dispute with flat owners over outdoor seating}

BUZZ has published many stories over the past ten years on the difficulties faced by local restaurants in getting approval for outdoor seating and planning their menus and even indoor arrangements. It looks as though relief from the bureaucratic chaos is coming.

In the Policy Address released last week by the Chief Executive, John Lee, introduced 11 measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises, including expediting the approval process for outdoor seating applications for restaurants. Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Cheuk Wing-hing revealed at a press conference after the Address that applications currently take an average of over a year to process. Internal guidelines for a “joint review” mechanism will be developed and implemented in the fourth quarter of this year. Departments will review applications simultaneously according to a streamlined approval process, significantly reducing the processing time for “simple and straightforward cases” to approximately one month.

Currently restaurant licencees or licence applicants who intend to provide outdoor seating for dining must first obtain permission from the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene and meet various licencing requirements, including hygiene, environmental protection, and land use authorisation. Cheuk Wing-hing mentioned that departments will streamline the relevant requirements and processing procedures, such as setting a standard ground rent for outdoor seating and allowing some applications to omit additional kitchen area and restroom facilities. Cheuk said that if an application involves complex circumstances that prevent a department from making a decision on its own, the department may consult the relevant Permanent Secretary and seek his guidance if necessary. The current system requires a minimum of two years of application

As highlighted in the recent BUZZ story on Casa’s forced closure, ground-floor restaurants must first obtain consent from all building owners, some of whom may not be in Hong Kong, creating difficulties for restaurants. It is hoped that the new proposals will stop situations like this from occurring with the current regularity.