Pavement Licences
A pavement licence permits a business to use furniture placed on the highway to sell or serve food or drink and/or allow it to be used by people for consumption of food or drink supplied from, or in connection with the use of the premises.
Pavement Licence Policy Consultation
Torridge District Council has produced a new Pavement Licensing Policy. This will be the first Pavement Licensing Policy adopted by the Council. As a result, we want to hear any comments or feedback you may have. Once adopted, the policy will, as standard, be reviewed every three years.
The policy sets out how we exercise our functions in relation to pavement licensing matters, under the Business and Planning Act 2020 and Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.
The Policy has been produced in conjunction with the other Local Authorities in Devon, with an aim to ensure a consistent approach across Devon.
Click the link below to view the policy:
Draft Pavement Licence Policy (PDF, 159 KB)
All comments must be made in writing and sent via email to: licensing@torridge.gov.uk
or by post to Licensing Team, Torridge DC, Riverbank House, Bideford, EX39 2QG.
The closing date for comments is 7 February 2025.
Overview
A business which uses (or proposes to use) premises for the sale of food or drink for consumption (on or off the premises) can apply for a pavement licence. Businesses that are eligible include: public houses, cafes, bars, restaurants, snack bars, coffee shops, and ice cream parlours including where such uses form an ancillary aspect of another use, for example supermarkets, or entertainment venues which sell food and drink.
Businesses that do not use their premises for the sale of food or drink, for example salons, are ineligible. However, they can apply for permission to place furniture on the pavement under the Highways Act 1980, please contact Devon County Council Highways Department for further information.
Applying for a licence
To apply for a pavement licence you will need to:
- read our Pavement Licence Guidance (PDF, 343 KB)(opens in new tab)
- complete the Pavement Licence Application Form (PDF, 185 KB)
- provide an adequate plan of the area that you wish to use (see Pavement Licence Example Plan under downloads)
- provide additional supporting documents (as detailed in the Pavement Licence Guidance)
- pay the application fee (as detailed in the Pavement Licence Guidance)
Once the application has been received and accepted as valid by the Licensing Authority you must post a notice on the premises to which it relates, on the same day that the consultation period starts. The notice must be easily visible and legible to the public and the applicant must ensure the notice remains in place for the whole of the 14 day public consultation period. A template notice is available under downloads.
Contact us
If you have any queries, or require help with your application, please contact the Licensing Team.
- email: licensing@torridge.gov.uk
- phone: 01237 428700
- post: Licensing Team, Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford EX39 2QG
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