
DHA offer a range of licencing services for premises that wish to expand their operation by providing external seating outside of their pub or restaurant on the public highway.
Our expert licensing team have a well-earned reputation in applying for Pavement Licences/Tables and Chairs Licences/Temporary Street Trading Licences/Highway Amenity Licences for premises that wish to expand their operation by offering external seating outside of their pub or restaurant on the public highway.
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Every Local Authority has a different policy and process, but our team has extensive experience of successfully obtaining Pavement/Tables and Chairs Licences and planning permission nationwide, and will be able to help and guide you through this complex process.
We can assist with:
Tables and chairs have become a popular addition to the country’s streets and public spaces as more of us discover the pleasures of alfresco dining in a lively cosmopolitan atmosphere. Not surprisingly there has been a steady increase in the number of cafes, restaurants, pubs and wine bars that wish to make use of the footway.
Well-managed areas for tables and chairs can make a positive contribution to the atmosphere and safety of their surroundings.
It has been widely reported that each outdoor seat created by businesses in the hospitality sector could boost their revenue by up to £6,000 a year, and that a third of restaurants, cafes and bars have the space to apply for a pavement licence.
The last two years has shown that these new outdoor spaces have the potential to bring active uses to the streets themselves and improve the overall vitality and appeal of town centres – all of which is vital in supporting the Government’s wider regeneration strategy.
We have assisted a number of clients over the last 20 years with their tables and chairs licences, including:
Greene King Stonegate Pub Company Swan London
If you place your tables and chairs on an area of public highway outside your premises, a Licence (usually known as either a Pavement Licence/Tables and Chairs Licence/Temporary Street Trading Licence/Highways Amenity Licence) will be required.
It is a Licence granted by the Local Authority which allows the licence holder to place tables, chairs, benches and other removable furniture on the public highway outside your premises for the purposes of patrons consuming food and/or drink purchased from the premises.
In some cases, yes. Planning permission will also be required to change the use of the highway to an outside seating area.
The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 provides the legal framework for all planning applications. You nearly always need planning permission to change from one use to another. The footway is part of the public highway, and planning permission can therefore be required for the use of part of it as, for example, an outside seating area. This is alongside the need to apply for a Licence as well.
Until the pandemic, Pavement Licences, or otherwise, were granted primarily under Part 7A of the Highways Act 1980. The fee for the Highways Act process varies between local authorities and there is a minimum 28 calendar day consultation period.
However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government introduced new legislation for fast-tracked pavement licences under the Business and Planning Act 2020. This created a streamlined process to allow businesses to secure Pavement Licences more easily and quickly. Application fees were capped at £100.00 and a reduced public consultation period of 7 days, instead of 28 days, was introduced.
This was intended to be a temporary lifeline for pubs, bars, restaurants, and cafes, and presented an opportunity for businesses in the hospitality sector to quickly replace lost indoor capacity during lockdown and then increase capacity to help businesses to thrive once restrictions ended.
Initially an expiration date was set for 31st September 2021, however this has been extended each year since. And on the 10 August 2023 ‘The Business and Planning Act 2020 (Pavement Licences) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2023’ came into force, and these regulations extended the existing Pavement Licence provisions once again to 30th September 2024.
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Alex has worked at DHA for over 15 years and became Managing Director in 2016. As well as the day to day running of the business, Alex remains passionate about planning and development and enjoys getting out and about meeting clients and discussing the various options how DHA can maximise the value of their land.
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Before establishing David Hicken Associates in 1986, David had ten years' experience in Local Government, including posts with a District Council, a Metropolitan Borough Council, Maidstone Borough Council and finally as Chief Planning Officer with Harlow District Council in Essex.
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Jack originally joined DHA Planning in 2021 after graduating from UCL with an MSc in Spatial Planning and is working towards becoming a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He started out by working with Jonathan Buckwell and Mark Bewsey in the Gatwick Office assisting on applications and providing advice to a range of clients with land and development interests in Sussex and Surrey.
John joined DHA in 2001 having gained experience with a Chartered Surveying Practice in Central London and then having spent some 12 years in Local Government. His Local Government experience involved a City Council, Borough Council and working as a Development Control Manager at a Unitary Council. He has a BA (hons) degree in Town and Country Planning and an MBA, and has been a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 1988.
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Sectors we work in
DHA have a long track record of work within the leisure sector, having secured consent for projects including ice rinks, football stadia and training complexes, sport pavilions, equestrian training centres and countless leisure centres. Each project comes with its own unique set of circumstances and design needs and DHA are adept at responding to these, working collaboratively with the design team to identify and mitigate any planning risks whilst promoting the many benefits such projects deliver.
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