27-07-2025
Reeves set to cut red tape on 'outdated' planning rules for al fresco dining in boon for the high street
Restaurants and bars will find it easier to offer al fresco dining and 'pavement pints' following plans to cut red tape.
Ministers are set to reform planning rules to protect outdoor eateries and street parties, in a bid to boost the high street.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she will bin 'clunky, outdated rules' and make it easier for businesses to have premises on the street.
She added that she wanted to 'protect pavement pints by making it easier for boozers to serve customers outside for longer and for nightclubs to stay open later'.
Currently, venues need to reapply to have an al fresco licence every one or two years. The rules and application processes vary between councils.
Ministers want to scrap different approaches to simplify the process.
Under the new system, which is subject to consultation, businesses will not have to renew their al fresco licence so regularly.
And 'hospitality zones' will fast-track permissions for al fresco dining, pubs, bars and street parties.
The National Licensing Policy Framework is aimed at making it easier to turn empty shops into music venues, cafes or bars.
It will also provide long-standing venues with more protection from noise complaints, officials said.
Ms Reeves told The Mail on Sunday: 'As we cheer on the fearless Lionesses today, many will be doing so from their locals with a pint in one hand and an England flag in the other. With a mix of hope and nerves, I'll be watching too.'
Extolling the virtues of the 'pavement pint', she added: 'There is a tradition that after the stress of delivering a Budget, the Treasury departs en masse on one particular pub in Westminster.
'People let off steam, share stories and mark a big moment with a clink of glass. That sort of thing matters.
'Pubs and the wider night-time economy are the centre of community and celebration in Britain. We need to release them from the regulations that hold them back.'
Speaking on the current rules, she said pubs, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs had been 'buried by mountains of out-of-date red tape, choking their growth'.
One such regulation that Ms Reeves said she was looking to scrap was 'the outdated rule that means [a business] needs to advertise in locally printed press when applying for a licence'.
But critics warned the changes will not go far enough in helping businesses suffering from higher taxes.
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said: 'This Government is crippling the hospitality industry by doubling business rates, imposing a jobs tax and a strangulation of employment red tape.'
