Thinking outside the square and embracing new opportunities could be the key to local businesses surviving the Covid lockdown.

The state government is offering cash grants to individual businesses and councils to help businesses adapt to the new “Covid normal”, including an increased focus on outdoor dining.

Teresa Mahood, Bass Coast Shire Council’s Acting Manager Investment and Visitor Economy said the details of the government grants were expected this week, including where the money was allowed to be spent.

She said businesses could apply for $5000 to help purchase items needed to organise extra outdoor dining, such as umbrellas and outdoor furniture.

In addition, as a regional council, Bass Coast will be eligible for up to $250,000 to help create a swift and smooth process for expanded outdoor dining.

Teresa said the money from the government could be used in a variety of ways, including extending footpath trading permits, organising road closures or branding for local businesses.

“We’ve met with the business associations to gauge their interest and what the approach should be,” she said.

“Our teams have also been out talking to individual businesses, to see what they want.”

She described Council’s role as “coordinating plans”, once the business community had decided what they wanted, but she said the focus needed to be on active, open space.

“We’re letting businesses know what’s coming, listening to them, and trying to support them as best we can.”

What’s in space?

Active open space could mean anything from “pop up parks” to road closures to allow for more outdoor dining or using existing open space to cater for picnics and takeaway.

Teresa said there were things hospitality business could do straight away, such as extending tables out onto the footpath, but this was also a chance to think of other possibilities.

“We have a great opportunity here, so we need to ask, ‘how are we going to approach summer?’ and what are the possibilities. What does open space look like for Cowes?”

She said overseas examples included road closures, with outdoor dining precincts set up on roads, as well as restaurants taking over parking spaces or nearby vacant blocks.

“We’re asking people to think – what are the opportunities? How can we free up additional space and create quirky and unique communal spaces for outdoor dining?”

She stressed that any outdoor dining areas would not be about inviting in food vans from outside the shire.

“It’s not about setting up external traders, it’s about creating places where people can engage with our businesses.”

She said anyone with ideas for unique or creative spaces to help promote outdoor dining and local businesses, could email them to business.support@basscoast.vic.gov.au.

Business mood

As businesses opened up in time for the school holidays, many are feeling the strain of the lockdown and restrictions.

“A lot of business owners are grateful for the state government help, but they’re also wary, because of the previous opening and closures,” said Teresa.

“Some business have lost a lot, and others have really fallen through the cracks in terms of government assistance.

“But people want to be able to get back to it, to employ staff and get customers back in.”

She said there was concern about when Melbourne came out of lockdown and there was an influx of visitors.

“People are worried about the virus coming back and there is nervousness about people visiting from Melbourne. But tourism is important to our region.”