The government has streamlined the pavement licence application process, enabling businesses to create more seating space outside far more quickly and far more cheaply than previously.
By cutting the processing time to five days and lowering the fee to a maximum of £100, the government is encouraging businesses to increase the number of covers they can take while maintaining social distancing.
The government hopes this initiative will help to save jobs and enable businesses to increase their profits during the summer months.
This came as England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty commented that the economy has opened up as much as it can without there being a surge of coronavirus infections.
This means that come September, it’s likely there could be a ‘trade-off’ between schools and the hospitality sector, meaning more restrictions could be on their way for cafe, pub, and restaurant owners.
If the government does decide to restrict hospitality businesses to outside seating areas only, a pavement licence will allow businesses owners to place tables, chairs, and even pop-up bars outside of their premises.
Better still, if the local council doesn’t process your application within five days, automatic permission is granted. And once you have permission, you’ll be able to use the pavement outside of your premises up until the 30th September 2021.
via https://www.AiUpNow.com/ by Aimee Bradshaw, Khareem Sudlow
