
27/07/2025
Via Dolce’s custom‑built outdoor gazebo in Garema Place, approved in 2023 and designed with the City Renewal Authority, has now been dismantled ahead of tonight’s midnight deadline.
The ACT Government recently changed its Outdoor Dining Toolkit for Garema Place to allow only umbrellas for outdoor dining, a move that has left Via Dolce “frustrated and baffled”. Local hospitality operators also say the ‘umbrellas only’ rule simply doesn’t work in Canberra’s cold winters.
Despite recent calls and a petition to reinstate the structure, the café has been told it won’t be allowed back.