Lyme Regis café fee request turned down (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)

Lyme Regis café fee request turned down

1:00pm Thursday 21st March 2013 in Lyme Regis

COUNCILLORS have refused a Lyme Regis café owner’s request for a discount on fees for outdoor tables and chairs.

Lyme Regis Town Council introduced a policy in 2011 that businesses on the Marine Parade should pay for a licence for outside seating.

The rate was set at £120 per cover, but reduced to £60 for the first year to ease them in.

From April 1, the charge will increase to £120 per cover.

The owner of The Alcove cafe on the eastern end of the parade has requested that he continues to pay only £60 because he there is a ‘marked difference in turnover’ between businesses on either end of the parade.

Coun Lucy Campbell said: “We set a rate, there was a lot of debate and discussion about it and we came to a decision that it was a certain fee per cover.

“If we start looking at types of businesses and what they sell and the value of what they sell it could get messy. “It’s better to have a charge relevant for everybody. This is about the use of public land and it should be a set fee.”

Coun Mark Gage said he has sympathy with the traders, adding: “We took professional advice and the advice was absolutely clear.

“If we tried to put in some sort of graduated fee it would not be manageable and subject to constant change.

“The only way to approach this was with a standard charge.”