Govt to fast-track new cafes and bars with planning reforms

The government has announced that cafes, bars and music venues could soon replace empty shops under its new plans to relax licensing and planning rules, in a bid to revive town centres. 

The reforms, which were announced on Sunday (27 July), will form part of the forthcoming Small Business Plan, aimed at boosting small firms and encouraging footfall on the high street. They include new “hospitality zones” to speed up approvals for outdoor dining, late openings and street events.

A new National Licensing Policy Framework will also standardise and simplify existing rules across England, replacing what ministers called a “patchwork” of local processes that slow down or deter new hospitality businesses.

The proposals will make it easier to convert disused retail premises into hospitality venues and will introduce the “Agent of Change” principle to shift responsibility for soundproofing to developers who build near existing pubs, clubs or music venues.

According to business and trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, the changes would “replace shuttered up shops with vibrant places to socialise”.

Reynolds said: “Red tape has stood in the way of people’s business ideas for too long. Today we’re slashing those barriers. From faster café openings to easier alfresco dining, our Plan for Change will put the buzz back into our town centres.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the move would “protect pavement pints, al fresco dining and street parties – not just for the summer, but all year round”.

The proposals build on the High Street Rental Auction Scheme, which allows councils to lease out commercial properties that have stood empty for more than 12 months.

Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, said: “We strongly welcome these proposals to cut red tape and make it easier to open and operate hospitality venues, create jobs and grow the economy. Measures like streamlined licensing, hospitality zones, and protections for existing venues are positive steps which we have been pushing for some time. We know that hospitality is the key to reinvigorate our vital high streets, breathe life into neighbourhoods and support local communities and this is a welcome first step towards unlocking that. 

“But positive and encouraging as these measures certainly are, they can’t on their own offset the immediate and mounting cost pressures facing hospitality businesses which threaten to tax out of existence the businesses and jobs that today’s announcement seeks to support.

She added: “Let’s hope that this is just the start of a bold, long term plan for the high streets and hospitality, with reforms implemented swiftly and the promise of permanent lower business rates delivered in full at the next Budget to secure these new opportunities for all.”

An initial call for evidence will precede the changes, which the government said would help cut regulatory costs by at least 25%.