City set to put lid on cafe-bar boom

Princes Avenue has steadily become the centre of the city’s pavement cafe-bar district, which has spread to Newland Avenue and Chanterlands Avenue.

But with food and drink outlets now accounting for 38 per cent of the businesses on Princes Avenue, the city council is considering steps to avoid this being repeated on neighbouring avenues. A survey in August found almost 20 per cent of retailers on Newland Avenue were food and drink outlets.

Members of the council’s planning committee are being asked to impose a 25 per cent limit on Newland Avenue and Chanterlands Avenue to protect their “vitality”.

Under the proposals, planning applications for food and drink businesses in these areas would be refused once the 25 per cent limit was reached.

A report said: “The retail function of Newland Avenue remains significant but it is important that that role is retained, especially given the changes that have occurred at Princes Avenue.”