– Is this really what the elected representatives should be doing here in the city? It’s completely silly that they should sit and spend time on this! The power ointment comes from Pål Høyde, owner of the restaurant Royal Gourmetburger og Gin in Neumanns gate in the center of Bergen. The restaurant is located next to the Bergen cinema. And therein lies the problem, too. Høyde has for several years fought to be allowed to pour alcohol on the restaurant’s small outdoor terrace with ten seats. But every time, the city council says no. Bergen City Council believes that alcohol should not be served outdoors, since there are many children walking the streets there. Now the case has become a much-discussed topic in Bergen politics. On Wednesday, the matter was once again up for debate. – This has become a very sad case, which provides fertile ground for politicians’ contempt, said Per Jørgensen (independent) during the city council meeting. – Just want to be able to serve beer with the food The cinema that stands in the way gets the outdoor serving, has itself applied for a license to serve beer. At other cinemas in Bergen, it is open for serving. The joy for Royal Burger was therefore great when the bar office is said to have opened for serving there. But then the internal disagreements in Bergen municipality started. According to Bergensavisen, which has followed the case closely, the liquor office believes that it can therefore be opened to serve alcohol in the area outside. The city council strongly disagrees with this and consistently rejects applications from the restaurants in the street. Height understands little of that attitude. – Pouring is allowed in all adjacent streets, and it is not exactly a question of us making a “Jägermeister fun pub” outside here. We just want to be able to serve a beer to those who want it for the food. NEIGHBORS: The restaurant in Neumannsgate (left) is close to Bergen cinema (right) Photo: Charlotte Haarvik Sanden / news Complained, won and lost The mess around the outdoor restaurant at Royal has been going on since April 9 last year. Høyde then applied to the municipality for permission to serve alcohol in a four square meter area outside the restaurant in the summer of 2021. The application was rejected by the city council on 3 June. Height of the complaint, but it took a long time before the complaint was processed by the municipality’s health committee, which handles the complaints on behalf of the city council. In February, he upheld the complaint – about serving alcohol out last year. When he applied for catering for the summer of 2022, that application was also rejected. The City Council believed that the support he received for the complaint only applied to the summer of 2021 and had no consequences for new applications. The city council and the health committee quarrel Then the internal quarrel in the municipality started between the health committee and the city council. They are unable to agree on an interpretation of the bar regulations. Several parts of Bergen municipality have been involved in the conflict recently. The disagreement is in many ways about who can overrule whom (see fact box). The liquor dispute in Neumanns gate in Bergen The Health Committee believes their decision is final and sets a precedent for the rest of the period for which the liquor regulations apply (until 2024). This will then open up for outdoor pouring in the area. The city council, which still does not want a drink at the cinema, believes the health committee’s decision only applies to the summer of 2021 and that the city council is thus free to reject the application for 2022. On Tuesday, BA said that city council director Roar Kristiansen has intervened and upheld the health committee’s interpretation. Kristiansen was asked to comment on the occasion that the city council on Wednesday will make a decision in principle on pouring in Neumanns gate. He is very clear to news that the city council does not have the right to review the health committee’s decision. – The City Council has the authority to process the appeal case, but has delegated these cases to a committee. Then it is the case that if someone thinks individual decisions are wrong, it must be returned to the city council to be reversed, not to the city council. – The City Council believes the application for 2022 can be processed regardless of the outcome of the appeal case from 2021, what do you think about it? – We have not seen anywhere in the case processing that the decision is limited to 2021. Our interpretation is that it applies to the entire period, to 30 September 2024, says Kristiansen. – SHOULD BE SCREENED: Health Councilor Beate Husa (KrF) does not want a drink at the cinema. Photo: Synnøve Horvei / news Who really decides? The city council is the highest body to decide the policy in Bergen. KRF City Councilor for the Elderly, Health and Volunteerism Beate Husa, believes that the city council has decided that there should be alcohol-free zones in Bergen. One of the non-alcoholic zones is Neumanns gate. – The cinemas located in Neumanns gate are an important offer for children and young people, and should be screened for outdoor dining. NEIGHBORS: The restaurant in Neumannsgate (left) is close to Bergen cinema (right) Photo: Charlotte Haarvik Sanden / news Hoping for new times after the election On Wednesday, the matter was once again discussed in the city council in Bergen. In the end, Pål Høyde lost again. But Conservative Harald Victor Hove (H) thinks the case is probably not too good. – There has been a sloppy handling of this case by the city council. We will see if we continue to discuss this matter in the autumn of 2022. – I reckon that I will have to wait until after the next election, says Høyde.
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Royal Burger in Bergen won over the municipality in liquor – but still not allowed to serve alcohol – news Vestland
