LOCAL residents are planning a community sit-out on Sunday at 11am to protest trade conditions placed by council on Valla Beach cafe The Beach House Providore.
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The event, organised on Facebook by sympathetic patrons, will see restaurant-goers set up their own fold-out chairs and stake out the footpath in front of the cafe.
The use of this ‘territory’ is at the heart of the dispute, as well as restrictions on operating hours.
In the past, the cafe featured al fresco dining options with tables and seating occupying the footpath.
Council is now telling the oldest standing business in Valla Beach to move guests indoors.
The fresh food, all-day breakfast cafe would also like to keep satisfying customers beyond the current closing time of 6pm on weekdays.
Owner for the past three months, Jess Waddell, suggested shifting the tables and chairs to the rear of the cafe, but council quickly dismissed this compromise.
"I don't want to fight with council, I want to work with them," Jess said.
"Unfortunately, the guidelines have been adhered to the point where there is no flexibility or conversation.
"We would love to be able to put tables back on the street and extend the hours to 8.30pm, so in summer people can come up from the beach and have something healthy to eat. It would also allow parents to sit on the street, enjoy a coffee, and watch their kids play at the park directly across the street.
"Allowing us to open til 8.30pm allows us to provide a service to tourists that they've come to expect when they come from the city. It's a family orientated place, it's not a rowdy crowd, I just want to allow families a healthier lifestyle.”
Jess, who grew up in Valla Beach but moved away at 17 to train as a chef in the Hunter Valley and travel the world refining her craft, including stints at two Michelin star restaurants, loves Valla Beach and considers herself and her business firmly entrenched in the community.
“I want to work with the community,” she said. "I’m taking the funds that I earned overseas and bringing them back to Valla Beach. As a community that employs the youth based on tourism there should be a focus on supporting small business.”
"We offer an alternative to increase tourism and turn the area into a food destination like Bellingen or Sawtell. Valla Beach has the ability to be that kind of place."
Cr Sue Jenvey, while enjoying a pot of tea at the beachside location, said the community seems supportive but she was unsure of how council would rule.
"It's about what the community wants and it services their needs,” Cr Jenvey said.
"It's very popular, they like having the option to eat healthy.”