Even after Corona: Regensburg wants to keep generous outdoor seating arrangements

Due to the corona, the outdoor seating areas for restaurants in Regensburg have been expanded.

The scheme is now running out.

But the votes in favor of retaining it are increasing.

Regensburg - The city of Regensburg * apparently wants to maintain the generous regulations introduced for more outdoor seating in restaurants even after Corona *.

At least that is what representatives of almost all parliamentary groups represented in the city council are saying.

Mayor Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer has announced a proposal from the administration for November.

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More outdoor seating for the catering trade: transitional regulation expires

So far, the additional free bar areas have only been approved until the end of February 2022.

But there have been voices for a long time to maintain this permanently.

Around the Dreieinigkeitskirche, the parish council and pastor have already worked together in the summer and have petitioned to allow the additional outdoor seats to be allowed to remain in Gesandersstrasse and Am Ölberg.

Joachim Roller from the parish council of the evangelical community speaks of consistently positive effects.

“The through traffic has slowed down, the area around the church is simply cleaner and the overall quality of stay has increased significantly.” In the past, people had to remove the nocturnal remains of partiers with a water hose almost every day.

"That has largely ceased." Other spaces have also "clearly gained" due to the increase in outdoor seating, according to Roller.

"I wouldn’t mind if that spreads wider."

Generous seating arrangements: application to the city council

Representatives of various parties have already made positive comments about the new open seating arrangement in the past.

But now the Brücke parliamentary group submitted the first application to the city council at the beginning of October.

Content: The license, which has been running until the end of February 2022, is initially to be extended by one year.

This time should then be used to work out "permanent solutions".

This includes in particular the change to the old town protection and special use statutes.

The votes from the governing coalition are consistently positive.

He wants to keep "as much as possible of the current situation," says SPD parliamentary group leader Thomas Burger.

Jürgen Eberwein (CSU) explains that his parliamentary group is ready to loosen the old town statutes, "as long as Coca Cola umbrellas don't stand around everywhere in the end".

More outdoor seating: "The quality of stay in downtown Regensburg increases noticeably."

However, once the bridge application has been approved, it is not over.

The administration is already working on the topic “in great detail”, says Günther Riepl (Free Voters).

Thomas Burger is in the same direction.

According to him, the mayor will bring a corresponding administrative proposal to the city council in November.

"With that, the bridge application has actually been dealt with."

Either way, a continuation of the generous open space regulation should in any case receive broad approval in the city council.

Because there are also positive signals from the Greens, the largest opposition faction, and the ÖDP.

“We saw that as a possible permanent solution even then,” says Green Party leader Stefan Christoph.

"The quality of stay in downtown Regensburg increases noticeably thanks to the outdoor seating." Space that was previously occupied by cars is now being given back to the people of Regensburg.