Tea for two in tipis as city creates outdoor dining sites

SEATING ‘PODS’ and two tipi tents will be installed in a York street to create outdoor dining areas in the coming weeks.

York Council has earmarked nearly £130,000 towards creating two outdoor seating areas in the city centre and installing temporary toilets, as lockdown begins to be lifted.

Make It York will put tables and chairs out in Parliament Street, near St Sampson’s Square, and two tipi tents at the Pavement end of the road, to make sure people who buy food in Shambles Market and other nearby businesses have somewhere to sit.

York BID (Business Improvement District) will also get £45,000 of the funding to bring back the seating area in College Green, which proved popular last summer.

And the BID is set to put benches at 13 other spots across the city – but the locations are still being agreed with landowners.

A council report says: “These will be free to use by anyone, and overseen by BID and Covid rangers, and the surrounding businesses that will benefit. Should any seating area become problematic it will simply be removed.

“The spaces will bring significant benefits to residents and visitors in providing spaces to sit, eat and socialise, and for businesses who will be able to reopen under Covid restrictions.”

“However, there is also an acknowledgement that the spaces will need to be monitored to ensure they do not attract any antisocial behaviour.”

A total £20,000 of the funds will be put towards security and collecting waste.

The report says the council hopes the new seating areas will be open by April 16. There are no plans to open pop-up food and drink businesses as part of these proposals.