With a decree dating from the end of July, the town hall of Paris removed a national exception which concerned this type of terraces. A decision that is difficult to pass on the side of some professionals.
As winter approaches, Parisian restaurateurs regret the absence of their heated terraces, which allowed them to welcome more customers. And, in the capital, stricter regulations totally banning these devices for a few months have aroused the ire of certain professionals.
Since March 31, the ban on heated terraces, which had been postponed for a long time in order to spare a profession very affected by the health crisis, came into force. This decree implemented the law of August 22, 2021, which aims to reduce French greenhouse gas emissions. But one exception persisted: according to this same decree, the terraces “covered and closed on their side faces by solid walls connected by an airtight joint to the upper wallcould be exempted from this prohibition.
Read alsoThe ban on heated terraces warmly welcomed by customers and restaurateurs
This is no longer the case for Parisian terraces: a decree dated July 29, 2022 allowed the Paris town hall to remove this exception. In the event of non-compliance with this prohibition, the establishments expose themselves to a procedure of suspension or withdrawal of the authorization of their terrace and a fine of 1500 euros or 3000 euros in the event of a repeat offence.
A tightening of the rules which is difficult to pass on the side of certain catering professionals. Pascal Mousset, president of the National Group of Independent Hotel, Restaurant and Caterer (GNI) Paris Île-de-France, deplores this: “Many Parisian restaurateurs had equipped themselves and had invested in solid walls to have the possibility of heating this winter, as provided for by the national decree.he sighs. 4,000 to 5,000 restaurateurs had acquired this equipment to meet national requirements, the representative said.
Franck Delvau, boss of Umih Paris-Île-de-France, is much more moderate. “For restaurateurs, this is not a good thing. But given the cost of energy, it would have been complicated to heat these terraces anyway“, nuances the representative.
For their part, the teams of Anne Hidalgo assume their decision. “We wanted to go further by adding this additional measure», confirms at Figaro Paris city hall. A commitment that it wanted to make to respond to the emergency plan for energy sobriety with a target of 10% savings this winter. The only possibility to be able to heat for Parisian restaurateurs: closed terraces. “To be heated, the terraces must now be covered, airtight and closed by rigid side walls.“, is it specified on the site of the City of Paris.
Read alsoDoes the ban on heated terraces put restaurants at risk?
Faced with the discontent of the professionals represented by the GNI, discussions are continuing. A meeting is scheduled for November 4 between the union of restaurateurs and the Paris City Hall. The president of the GNI Paris Ile-de-France is however “not optimisticon a possible evolution of this measure. For its part, the Umih does not wish to participate: “We are not going to go to the crenel for this subject“Says Franck Delvau, who prefers to focus on the worrying surge in energy bills.
SEE ALSO – Energy sobriety “is not a fashion effect”, says Élisabeth Borne