To put tables and chairs outside your premises 'on the highway', you need a licence.
The government has enacted changes to pavement café licensing under the Business and Planning Act 2020 and the associated Pavement licences: guidance. These changes aim to offer a streamlined process for pavement café licences.
Pavement café licences
To place tables and chairs outside your premises on the highway, you will need either:
- a valid pavement café licence for your premises, with planning permission; or
- a pavement café licence under the Business and Planning Act 2020 process
New pavement café licence under the Business and Planning Act 2020
This process enables you to apply for a licence, valid for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months (not beyond the end of 30 September 2021), under the Business and Planning Act 2020.
If you wish to apply for a new pavement café licence under Business and Planning Act 2020, you will need to:
- refer to our guidance notes to help you complete the application
- complete and return our pavement café application form
- send us your payment of £25 for 3 months or £100 for 12 months (See our guidance notes, Appendix A, for payment details)
Apply for a pavement café licence
Once we receive your application and supporting documents, we will check that we have all the information we need. We will aim to let you know the next working day if we require any additional information.
After you have sent us your application, you must display the standard notice template in your premises’ window or on your door without delay, for businesses, organisations and members of the public to be able to read the notice. The notice must remain in a location visible to all for 7 days of the consultation period.
When the consultation period is over, we will consider all the information you submitted together with the consultation responses we receive and determine your application within 7 days.
Renewal of a pavement café licence granted before July 2020
If you already have a pavement café licence (granted before July 2020, with a planning application), you need to renew it every year. To renew your licence, you will need to:
- complete and return our pavement café application form
- send us your payment, a reduced fee of £100 applies for an annual licence (See our guidance notes, Appendix A, for payment details
Apply for a pavement café licence
Changing the conditions of an existing licence
If you wish to apply to change or vary the conditions of your existing pavement café licence you will need to submit a new application licence under the Business and Planning Act 2020. We cannot vary an existing pavement cafe licence granted under the Business and Planning Act 2020. All applications for a pavement cafe licence under the Business and Planning Act 2020 must follow the above process.