Covid 19 - What you need to know - Pavement Licence Act Progresses through House of Lords

We have previously reported on the progress of the Planning and Business Bill through Parliament which aims to introduce a streamlined process for obtaining a pavement café licence and allowing off sale provision for ‘on-licences’ without such a permission presently.

On Monday the Bill received its second reading in the House of Lords and will next pass through the Committee stage on 13th July.

Following the 2nd reading a list of proposed amendments to the Bill were published and can be found here.

The amendments, yet to be adopted by the Government, include:

• That off-sales could not take place after 11pm, regardless of whether the premises can sell alcohol on the premises after 11pm.
• To stream line and shorten the consultation requirements of new licence applications until September 2021.
• Pavement licences may only be granted by a local authority subject to the condition that smoking is prohibited

Although it is common that many such amendments fail to be adopted there were a number of similar amendments proposed around a general curfew for off-sales into Pavement cafés (granted under any new Act) to 11pm.

There was not a proposal that this limitation would effect, if adopted by the Government, existing permissions which were already allowed to trade later.

The Bill appears on track to complete its legislative journey by the end of July and become law very soon thereafter.

We shall keep you updated.