Tables Turn as Aberdeen Heads for Cafe Culture

Chris Marshall, Press and Journal, Aberdeen

Attempts to foster cafe culture in the Granite City have received a boost after councillors gave the go-ahead for an award-winning city restaurant to increase its outdoor seating.

Aberdeen City Council's planning committee approved plans for Cafe 52 in The Green to increase the space it could use for seating customers outside.

Proprietor Stephen Bothwell said the move was a great victory for those who want to encourage pavement cafes like in other European cities. He said the city had been slow to back cafe owners and restaurateurs who were pushing for outdoor eating and drinking.

“There's possibly an intention there to promote cafe culture but we really need to start accelerating things. Aberdeen still kind of plods along - it needs to have a more vibrant attitude. Hopefully the tables have started to turn and we might have a cosmopolitan city rather than a dank grey one.”

Mr Bothwell said the area, which is about 50ft by 16ft, will allow for between 10 and 30 extra seats as well as terrace screening and three sealed canopies. The cafe currently has space for about 30 seats.

Councillor Steve Delaney, planning committee vice-convener, was part of a group which visited the site earlier in the week. He said: “We are very keen to promote a cafe culture in Aberdeen and The Green is one of the best locations for that to happen. We were satisfied that this could go ahead and a permit has been granted on a temporary 12-month basis.”

The council's decision had been held back by road bosses who raised concerns over access at the historic market site.

There had also been opposition to the extension of the seating area from fast food giants McDonalds, who said it would impede attempts to make deliveries to the back of their Union Street premises.

A council spokesman said: “Attempts to promote cafe culture are a way of trying to promote the city centre as an enjoyable place. It's a pleasant image for the city to project. We obviously have to look at the circumstances of each individual case and the knock-on effect to pedestrians and motorists but the general feeling is that pavement cafes are good for the image of the city.”

Last month cafe owners criticised council plans to charge up to £25 per chair to serve open-air customers in public areas. It will be discussed at a meeting of the environment and infrastructure committee in September.