A town Deputy is calling for a review after it emerged the Parish of St Helier saw its al fresco income soar by over £70,000 in just two years – despite the number of permits and total area of outdoor seating having gone down.
Deputy David Warr said the ‘Choses Publiques’ permit scheme should be examined, questioning whether the charges are justified and if enough is being done to support the embattled hospitality industry and boost town’s atmosphere.
The scheme… and the income
A “chose publique” refers to land in Jersey where the public has a legal right to pass freely – whether on foot, with animals, or in vehicles – under customary law. It includes highways but does not cover parks or beaches.
Any hospitality business wishing to operate an al fresco area on parish land must apply for a permit and pay a fee. Often, permits will come with conditions relating to hours of use, locations of tables and chairs, and cleaning, with the threat of a fine of up to £10,000 for any breach.
Figures obtained by Express under the Freedom of Information Law showed that, when the Parish of St Helier filed its accounts in April 2022, 70 permits had been issued, covering an area of 16,935sqft, which netted £166,436 in income.
Two years later, there were four fewer permits and the total area covered had dropped to 16,454sqft, but income stood at £236,679.
Tough times for hospitality
During that period, the hospitality industry reported increasingly difficult operating circumstances, with margins stretched amid staffing challenges, wage rises, and fewer customers each week due to rises in the cost-of-living.
The last official ‘health check’ for Jersey’s economy in autumn 2024 – the Business Tendency Survey, which was recently scrapped – reflected a challenging picture.
Input costs were ranked as an “extremely negative” factor for those in the industry, while the profitability was also “strongly negative”.
Earlier this month, an Institute of Directors survey said business confidence in Jersey’s economy is “weak”, with 56% of members citing the island’s economic conditions as a “barrier to growth”.
“How do they come to the figures that they come to?”
Deputy David Warr, who is also the owner of Cooper & Co coffee merchants, said there should be more thought around how the al fresco scheme impacts businesses wanting to operate outside.
The St Helier Deputy suggested the parish “should carry out a review of their Choses Publiques”.
“Has anybody ever run a costs analysis of what it costs the Parish of St Helier to run their al fresco portfolio?” he questioned.
“Is it about the paperwork? How do they come to the figures that they come to?”
“If they want to encourage businesses to operate outside and improve the ambience, they should be very tight on their costings and the rates they charge,” he added.
“Balance” needed
Earlier this month, a café in St Helier that supports abuse survivors warned it could struggle to keep operating if it is unable to open its al fresco area, explaining that it does not have the funds “readily available” to pay the fee and that “the cost has increased significantly compared to last year”.
The Butterfly Café team, who have asked St Helier to reconsider the charge given their social purpose, set up an online crowdfunder in order to raise the £6,800 required to pay the parish fee so that it can operate outside from April to September.
It has raised just under £2,000 so far.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said that, while he did not know enough to comment on the specifics of St Helier’s permit scheme, he felt there was a “balance” to be struck between parish administration and enabling al fresco.
The Deputy, who has previously pledged to cut red tape and barriers to businesses operating in the island, said: “There is a balance, but in my mind al fresco is a general good for the island.”
Express has asked the parish for a response.
