<![CDATA[ Comerciantes de Arroios querem que esplanadas temporárias passem a definitivas ]]>

Owners of establishments in the Lisbon parish of Arroios once again asked the Lisbon Municipal Assembly for help this Tuesday so that temporary terraces, created within the scope of the Covid-19 pandemic, can be maintained after a case-by-case assessment.

"Temporary terraces were an essential solution during the pandemic, which allowed small establishments like mine to survive in Arroios. Around 40 terraces were authorized during this time. These terraces occupy a total of 1% of all parking spaces in the parish. The impact on parking and traffic is minimal and, for residents, such a small number is not even significant, but the impact on our businesses is enormous", said Bruno Ribeiro, owner of Primo do Queijo, in Arroios. This owner was speaking during the public intervention period at the meeting of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly (AML), in which another trader also spoke, reinforcing the voice of the citizen who spoke on the subject last week. The issue at hand is the communication that traders have received from the Arroios Parish Council, via registered letters, informing them of "a final deadline of five working days for the voluntary removal of the terrace and street furniture illegally located in a public space used as a parking space, which must be left clean and unobstructed for its intended purpose". "If this decision is upheld, not only will I lose the terrace, but I will also lose my livelihood and that of two other people [...]. If Primo do Queijo does not have a terrace, it will have to close its doors", explained Bruno Ribeiro, stating that his establishment has six indoor and 12 outdoor seats, and that it has never had a noise complaint. In this regard, the owner highlighted the petition for terraces in Lisbon, which has "more than 7,000 signatures". "There are thousands of voices asking for these structures to be maintained and regulated fairly and not simply eliminated", he stated. Noting that the owners have been "at this impasse for three years", Bruno Ribeiro defended carrying out a "case-by-case" analysis to make the business viable and the real impact of the terrace on the public space, arguing that these structures in the public space "are not just an extension of the business, but are meeting points, which promote safety on the streets and strengthen the community. Francisco Tomás, owner of the Trinca restaurant, on Rua dos Anjos, in Arroios, also intervened to request that the temporary terraces be made permanent, saying that the process has been going on since March 2022, when he was first notified to remove the terrace because the Covid-19 pandemic was over. "We tried to talk to the executive of the Arroios Parish Council with a view to the possibility of regularizing the situation of the terrace. In 2023, following the procedures suggested by the president [of the council], we submitted a new application for a license for the terrace. To date, the responses have only been letters requesting its removal", explained Francisco Tomás, indicating that he received a new letter last week asking for the removal of the terrace. "In our case, our terrace gives Rua dos Anjos more security, a greener, safer space, a meeting point for residents, visitors and other traders", he indicated, considering that these structures in public spaces contribute to a sense of community and neighbourhood. Francisco Tomás also said that there is inconsistency between the position of the Arroios Parish Council, chaired by Madalena Natividade, elected by the "Novos Tempos" (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança), and the electoral programme presented in the 2021 local elections by the head of this coalition's list and elected mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), which reads: "Make definitive in its normative regulation, within the scope of urban planning and public space, the decisions that facilitated the installation of terraces in the context of exceptional support to commerce during the pandemic". In June 2024, the president of the parish council ordered the removal of 40 temporary terraces, created during the covid-19 pandemic, due to complaints from residents, but the decision was contested because the spaces were being replaced by car parking.

At that time, in a statement, the Arroios Parish Council recalled that terraces were authorized, "temporarily and free of charge", to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on most tourism and restaurant activities, a measure that was extended until December 31, 2023.

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