Temporary Pavement Cafe Licences

The Business and Planning Act 2020 has created a new Temporary Pavement Licence, which local authorities can grant as a permit to a business to place removable furniture on highway land for the serving and consumption of food and drink in relation to their business (e.g. a café, a restaurant, a bar or a public house). This is a streamlined process to allow businesses to secure these licences in time for the summer and allow these licences to remain in place for up to a year and not beyond 30 September 2024, and so help those businesses while they have reduced space inside their premises due to the social distancing restrictions in place. Where a pavement licence is granted, clear access routes on the highway will need to be maintained, taking into account the needs of all users, including disabled people.

How do I make an application for a Temporary Pavement Café Licence?

You can apply for a Temporary Pavement Cafe Licence online, but before you do, please read through the Temporary Pavement Café Licence Policy document and its appendices below, and call the Council to discuss your proposal, so we can help you to complete the application correctly and advise you whether your proposal is likely to be granted.  For such a discussion, please email pavementcafelicence@westlancs.gov.uk and provide your name and phone number and what premises your enquiry relates to, and an officer will call you back to discuss your proposals.

In relation to the hours of operation for a Temporary Pavement Café Licence, please disregard the note on the online application form, as we have changed our policy on this.  Hours of operation cannot exceed those stated on the planning permission for your business and should be within the hours of 07.00 and 22.00 in a mixed residential area and between 07.00 and 23.00 in all other areas, unless the premises has a pre-existing License under the Licensing Act, in which case the hours of operation relating to that Licence shall also apply to the Pavement Café Licence.

Also, before you start to fill in your application online, please ensure you have prepared your answers to the questions (the questions can be viewed in the template Application Form provided below with the Policy document) and have all the documents you will need to upload in support of your application ready, so that you can complete the online form quickly and easily and avoid the webpage from timing-out before you've completed it.

Indicative plans of where outdoor seating will be permitted in Ormskirk Town Centre:

 Is there a charge for making an application?

While local authorities are allowed to charge for processing and considering applications for a Temporary Pavement Licence, West Lancashire Borough Council has decided not to have a charge in order to not place another financial burden on businesses at this challenging time.

What happens after I've submitted my application?

If you have completed the application form correctly and provided all the information and documentation required to consider your application, the application will be accepted by the Council and given an application reference number (which you will be notified of), placed on the Council's register and will be available for anyone to view on the Council's Public Access system. 

Anyone will be able to submit comments on an application for a period of 7 days (excluding public holidays) from the day after your application has been accepted by the Council.  The Council will also consult with key stakeholders such as the Highways Authority and Emergency Services on your application.  Once that 7 days has finished, the Council then has a further 7 days (excluding public holidays) to make a decision on your application.