Scottish trade bodies urge gov not to ‘forget’ about pubs

Scotland’s three major hospitality trade associations, the Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA), Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), and UKHospitality Scotland (UKHS) have called on the Scottish Government not to exclude pubs from their current proposals which would see other hospitality premises, like restaurants, have greater flexibility with on-street seating.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Permitted Development Rights consultation, it is proposed that outdoor restaurant seating could be permitted without a planning application.

Under the current proposal it would only apply to restaurants and other businesses currently operating as a class 3 business (food and drink for consumption on the premises) not pubs or bars.

In their submissions to the Scottish Government’s consultation, all three trade associations have said that Scotland’s pubs and bars can’t be forgotten about.

Paul Togneri of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association said: “This should be a no brainer for the Scottish Government. Since the planning use classes came into effect, the hospitality industry has changed massively. Many pubs and bars provide almost identical services to restaurants and should be able to benefit from the same relaxation being offered to them.

“In normal times, the sector is a powerhouse of the Scottish economy, contributing £1.4bn annually and supporting 54,000 jobs. In addition, every local pub creates on average £100k every year for their local economies. To get the sector and city centres thriving again post-covid, we need support, and this sort of change can be a huge boost to thousands of SMEs across the country.”