Pavement licence for outdoor seating
Fees for cafe pavement licences
Under current government legislation, pavement licences are capped at £100 until September 2024.
The pavement licence has replaced the cafe licence.
You can only put tables and chairs on the pavement if you have a pavement licence.
Before you apply for a licence
Before you apply you must make sure that:
- there's at least 1.5 metres clear access between the seating area and the kerb to allow pedestrians to pass by safely. If it's a busy pavement then a larger amount of space will be required
- a 1 metre (minimum) height barrier with a tap rail is placed around the seating area at all times that your business operates
You must check the terms of your lease before you make an application as your ability to use the space outside may be affected.
Consultation
All applicants must consult with neighbouring businesses and homes about the placement of tables and chairs on the pavement before the application is made. We may ask you to provide written evidence of:
- a list of the people you consulted with
- the responses to the consultation
If an agreement cannot be reached between you and your neighbours then we may refuse to issue or revoke the licence.
You must also display a poster in your window advising the public that you've applied for a licence. You'll need to display this for 5 working days. You'll need to post this to your neighbouring businesses too. You can find the information about what you need to display in the pavement licence policy below. You must read the policy before you apply for a licence.
If your application is successful, you must make sure that you remove all furniture and barriers from the pavement outside of the licensed hours.
Before filling in this application you must read the pavement licence policy for outdoor seating (PDF 125Kb).
Apply for a pavement licence for outdoor seating
Find consultations for pavement licence applications
You can find information about the businesses that have applied for an pavement licence. The information will be available for 5 working days while it's under consultation.