Tauranga City Council will wait until mid-2025 to expand charges for letting businesses offer al fresco dining.

The fee per-square-metre of footpath use was meant to apply from July. 

Tauranga mayor Mahe Drysdale says delaying its introduction recognises the tough conditions for hospitality now.

He says they're now rethinking how high the fee should be. 

"That's a conversation we need to have with the people that are on the ground and using the space."

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