The government have streamlined the process of applying for a pavement licence in England, making it cheaper, quicker and easier.
With social distancing the number of customers able to be hosted inside your venue will undoubtably be reduced. To help counteract this for some, the government has revised the process for applying for a Pavement Licence.
Under the new rules the cost of applying for a Pavement Licence is now capped at a maximum of £100. The timeframe for acceptance has also be reduced from 28 days to 5 working days. This means that if the local authority post no objections (determine) the application within those 5 days you are assumed to have been granted the licence and can trade using it immediately.
All bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes are eligible to apply. The furniture proposed must be removable but the following are considered acceptable furniture:
- counters or stalls for selling or serving food or drink;
- tables, counters or shelves on which food or drink can be placed;
- chairs, benches or other forms of seating; and
- umbrellas, barriers, heaters and other articles used in connection with the outdoor consumption of food or drink.
No planning permission is needed, and the licences will be granted for a minimum of 3 months, but the expectation is the licenses will be granted for 12 months or more unless there is a good reason for granting a shorter one.
All the info can be found here at the gov.uk website