Café culture must be done properly

Over the past few years my wife and I have popped over (or under) the Channel to Belgium, a country that we have grown rather fond of.

It has beautiful towns, wonderful buildings and a 65 km coastline with a tram system that takes you along the coast to any or all of the fifteen coastal towns from De Panne to Knokke.

Bruges is gorgeous but can be a little busy, Ghent has marvellous art galleries and churches and the little coastal gem of Ostend is a working port as well as a friendly resort with a wide promenade and stunning beach. And of course, there are plenty of opportunities for moules frites, waffles and delicious and rather strong Belgian beers.

All of this was before the curse of Covid-19 struck. In fact my wife and I were due to travel on Eurostar to Ghent to see the Van Eyck exhibition but recent circumstances put paid to that.

Belgium is currently very socially distant. In truth it might be a while before we visit again.

So why mention this now? The reason is simple. One of the delights of visiting Belgium is the wealth of restaurants, cafes and bars that adorn just about every street and boulevard. The majority of these have both inside and outside facilities, the outside areas spreading onto the pavements and walkways and covered by substantial awnings and sturdy umbrellas.

Many is the time that Irene and I have sat outside, both in sun and rain, eating, drinking and watching the world go by.

Belgium has roughly the same climate as the United Kingdom, has some sun, wind and a good deal of rain just like we do. But this does not put the Belgians and tourists off. Café owners ensure that the outside street area coverings and furniture are attractive, sturdy and, if necessary, heated.

Look at the accompanying photograph to see what I mean.

Now it just so happens that Peterborough is considering just this type of café culture. A couple of weeks ago Cllr. Marco Cereste was on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire talking about the imminent possibilities of café culture coming to Peterborough. In fact he hinted at some developments as soon as the following week.

Of course we welcome such improvements to the city centre but this really has to be thought through. There’s a big difference between cosmetic short-term actions and more considered longer-term improvements. I sincerely hope that we don’t end up with a temporary marquee on Cathedral Square or some sort of shed and temporary bar placed in the Guildhall selling ordinary lager at £5.00 a pint like we saw last Christmas. What a disaster that was!

Any longer-term initiative should ideally involve an extension in floor space of existing providers, not random ill-thought-through additions. Retailers need to be fully consulted and involved regarding feasibility. Pavements, walkways, traffic management and access need to be looked at as a whole so that diners and pedestrians can happily coexist.

City Council planners need to be able to control the type and quality of any awnings and coverings, particularly bearing in mind sensitivities around some of our listed buildings. Be under no illusion – these improvements are not cheap but once again, if the initiative is to be successful, we should expect high quality not short-term makeshift shoddy.

Yes, a street-based café culture for Peterborough is a wonderful idea and should be applauded. There is nothing I’d like more than to sit in a covered area outside a city centre restaurant and if it is to work I have a simple message - do it properly.