Street trading licences
Pavement licence
A pavement licence allows cafes, pubs, bars or restaurants to place tables, chairs and other removable furniture on a public pavement outside their premises.
Apply for a new pavement licence
Under the Business and Planning Act 2020 you can apply for a Pavement Licence to use some of the space outside your premises to provide more seats for customers who wish to consume food and drink. Planning permission is not required for a pavement licence however all items placed on the highway must be removed at the end of each day.
Pavement licence terms
The pavement licence costs £100. You need to pay when you apply.
If we grant you a licence, it will be subject to our standard terms and conditions. A licence, if granted, must:
- make sure furniture does not obstruct the pavement or road
- have a minimum passing width of 1.5m (2m is preferable)
- not stop access for essential work to take place, for example, work by water, gas, electricity or communications networks
- make sure there is enough space for non-smokers
How to apply
Before you apply, make sure you have the following supporting documents:
- evidence of public liability insurance for a minimum of £5 million
- location details
- a site plan to scale
- images of the furniture you want to place outside your premises
What happens next
There is a 14-day public consultation starting the day after you apply. This involves displaying a notice in the window of your premises advertising your application.
If an objection is received, the Council has a further 14 days to determine your application.
We will let you know the Council's decision at the end of that determination period. Your licence will be deemed granted if we do not contact you by the end of that time.
There is no right of appeal if we refuse to grant a licence.
Existing tables and chairs licences
Premises with tables and chairs permissions issued under the Highways Act 1980 are still valid.
You can apply for the new pavement licence instead of your existing licence permission. However you can only do so if you remove all your furniture from the highway every day at the end of trade.
Renew a pavement licence
If your pavement licence is due to expire, you can use our online form to renew and pay for a new one. A renewal costs £100.
There is a 14-day public consultation starting the day after you apply. This involves displaying a notice in the window of your premises advertising your application.
If we receive an objection, we have another 14 days to decide. If granted, the renewed licence will remain valid for 12 months.
You must apply for a new licence if you want to make changes. This includes changing:
- area you want licensed
- hours you want to use the area
- type of furniture, or adding more
- name or address of the licence holder
Current applications
When businesses apply for a pavement licence, the application will appear below during the 14-day consultation period.
There are currently no applications in consultation.