Horse and carts granted extension in Melb

Horse-drawn carriages will remain a fixture of Melbourne's city streets until at least mid-2017.

Melbourne City Council has come under increasing pressure in recent years from animal welfare campaigners to cancel the trading permits of horse-drawn carriage operators.

The trading permits expiry date has been pushed back from February to June 2017 to allow for wider community consultation about the long-term arrangement for operators, a council spokesperson said in a statement.