Pavement licensing and street trading consent

Pavement licence

You need a pavement licence if your business wants to place removable furniture on a public road or highway to sell or serve food and drink or allow it to be used for the consumption of food or drink supplied from, or in connection with your premises.

Types of furniture that would require a licence are:

• counters or stalls for selling or serving food or drink
• tables, counters or shelves on which food or drink can be placed
• chairs, benches or other forms of seating
• umbrellas, barriers, heaters and other articles used in connection with the outdoor consumption of food or drink

Information on furniture which is not permitted by a pavement licence, including non-removable furniture can be found here, under section 1.7.

On 31 March 2024, the Government commenced with the pavement licensing provisions as laid out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. These provisions have introduced a permanent pavement licensing regime in England to replace the temporary provisions introduced by the Business and Planning Act 2020.

Further information about this type of licence can be found at gov.uk.

Three Rivers District Council, as well as other local authorities across the country, have been given new enforcement powers on businesses that have placed furniture on the public highway without permission, such as removing and storing unauthorised furniture – with the power to sell if the recovery fee is not paid after three months - as well as amend licences in certain circumstances.

Any business within the district that wants to place removable furniture on the public highway outside their premises, such as seating and tables, must obtain a pavement licence from us.

The fee for a new licence is £500. The fee for a renewal is £350.

Once we have granted a pavement licence, it is valid for two years. If you want to continue with the licence past this date, you will need to apply for a renewal.

All licences will be subject to the council's standard conditions (PDF).

Apply for a pavement licence

You can apply for a pavement licence using our online form. When submitting your application you will need to include the following documents:

• A site plan to scale of 1:250 which must show:

             -  location of the premises including the property boundary and proposed boundary of area to
                be covered by the Pavement Licence (with a red line to indicate the area to be licensed,
                including dimensions of the area) and which shows the name of the adjacent highway
            -  kerb lines
            -  points of access and egress
            -  furniture layout
            -  position of any lighting columns, litter bins, road signs or other existing street furniture
            -  area designated as non-smoking

• Location plan
• Photographic images or brochure showing the proposed street furniture
• Copy of relevant premises licence - only if you sell/supply alcohol for consumption on and/or off the premises
• Public Liability insurance certificate to a minimum value of £5 million
• A copy of your completed public notice and evidence that it is correctly displayed (must be displayed on the premises for 14 days)
• Fee payment - payment must be made upon submission of the online application form

If you hold a current pavement licence with Three Rivers District Council you can apply to renew your licence. A renewal application must be submitted at least 28 days prior to expiry to allow for the consultation. Please note, an expired licence cannot be renewed.

After you apply

Once you have submitted a valid application, you will need to display the below consultation notice in a prominent position. You must ensure the notice remains in place for the duration of the public consultation period which is the period of 14 days (excluding public holidays) beginning the day after the day the application is submitted to the authority. Failure to display a notice for the entire consultation period will invalidate your application.

Members of the public, responsible authorities or any other interested party may make a comment on your application during this time.

All comments will be considered when the authority determines the application.

Consultation notice template (docx)

Once the application is submitted, we as the licensing authority has 28 days from the day after the application is made (excluding public holidays) to consult on and determine the application. This consists of 14 calendar days for public consultation, and then 14 calendar days to consider and determine the application after the consultation.

When considering your application, we will have regard to public health and safety, public amenities, accessibility, and any comments received during the public consultation.

Your application will either be granted as applied for, modified, or refused. The decision made by the authority is final and there is no right of appeal.

Make a comment on an application

Commenting on a licensing application is known as 'making a representation'.

If you wish to comment on a licensing application, please click on the link below:

Make a representation