by DAVID BELL

THE Pickled Fig Cafe in North Coogee wants to take 70sqm of public recreation reserve.

Cockburn city council is considering purchasing the strip of Crown land at five per cent of its market price and leasing it to the uber-trendy beachfront cafe.

The Fig folk want to use the space for “an upgraded café alfresco area”.

Fig spokesperson Peter Webb says his clients want to expand their small alfresco footprint and make it a “permanent feature of the reserve”.

The council will undertake community consultation with mail-outs, advertising, signage and direct consultation (at the Fig’s expense) before deciding what to do.

The council report notes that even at five per cent “the land could be very expensive” and “any rent levied in a potential lease should allow the city to recoup its outlay within a reasonable time frame”.