Government extends restaurants and pubs takeaway permission

The Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has reportedly extended the automatic permission for pubs and restaurants to serve takeaway food and drinks until 2022.

The extension means that businesses will not have to obtain planning permission to provide takeaways until March 2022.

According to i, Jenrick is set to make the provisions permanent, stating: “Making it easier for them to provide takeaways has helped these businesses to adapt and helped sustain many through an unbelievably difficult year.”

“That’s why I am extending these simple but effective reforms to support these businesses – helping give them and their employees more certainty over the coming year. As these reforms have made such a difference I will be considering making them permanent.”

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality welcomed the “valuable lifeline” this would provide the hospitality sector with.

She said: “The ability to provide takeaway services was a valuable lifeline for many hospitality venues, not just during the lockdown but in the days of reduced and restricted trade, too.

“The extension will undoubtedly help many. For pubs, restaurants and cafes to operate as takeaways gives them a previously untapped revenue stream and a much better chance to survive what will be a tough winter.”