Sitting Out Licence for Hospitality

In this month’s article we discuss the upcoming changes to the sitting out licence for hospitality with outdoor seating. 

Come September 30th 2023 all hospitality with a sitting out licence for outdoor seating on any pavements or roads will need planning permission in order to keep the extra outdoor seating. 

During the pandemic many pubs and restaurants were given permission by the UK government, to create outdoor seating on pavements and roads. Allowing outdoor seating provided a safer environment for staff and customers. It also helped to keep businesses afloat and retain jobs for many workers.

In 2022 the government came to the decision to remove these seating areas unless there was planning permission in place. Many people were unhappy with this decision, signing petitions to prevent what some people are calling ’a step backwards’. The petitions led to these new rules being delayed and instead being put into place after the 30th September 2023 to give time for businesses to apply for any planning permission they would need. 

There are several different permissions that you could apply for therefore we recommend checking through the various permissions. Some of these include pavement licences, planning permission, hospitality structure licence and an electrical licence.

Further information regarding the upcoming changes to the sitting out licence and  planning permission are on the government website. 

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