Request for advice on the use of an outside area

The Licensing Team appreciates that the Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on businesses across the country. The pandemic has had a particularly significant impact on licensed premises, many of which have had to close.

We understand that you may now be planning to re-open in the future (when regulations permit) and as part of this process you will no doubt be considering a range of issues, including the requirement to undertake a risk assessment. General guidance and advice about this, and operating your business safely, can be found at the links below:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19 https://www.heartofswgrowthhub.co.uk/covid-19-support-for-business/

As part of your planning, you may be considering the use of an outside area to provide additional space / seating to enable proper social distancing.Given the potential licensing implications, we recommend that you consider the following points during the planning process:

1. Does the current Premises Licence permit the use of outside areas for what is proposed and if not, what action is required?
2. Could the proposal undermine any of the 4 licensing objectives and if so, what action(s) is required?

In order to try and help, and to ensure that premises operate in compliance with the Licensing Act, the Licensing Team is offering FREE advice to all licence holders, on a case by case basis. If you would like some advice on the use of an outside area, please complete the following questions.

It is important that you provide as much detail as possible – this will help the Licensing Team(and Responsible Authorities) to understand your plans and comment on the proposals.

Finally, it should be noted that the Licensing Team are unable give advice on compliance with other regulations, such as Health and Safety, Planning and the requirement for a pavement café licence.