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Temporary pavement licence

A temporary pavement licence allows you to put tables and chairs on the pavement outside of your food or drink business.

These licences are normally dealt with by Nottinghamshire County Council but to help more businesses after coronavirus the Government introduced the Business and Planning Act 2020 to allow local councils to grant temporary pavement licences. 

The temporary pavement licence scheme has been extended until 30 September 2023. This means that if your current temporary pavement licence is due to expire at the end of September 2022, you will need to apply to renew it.

It is expected that from October 2023, that the scheme will become a permanent pavement licence scheme, and at that time the Council will be introducing a licence fee. But for now, in order to continue to help business post-Covid, we will not charge a fee.

A list of current applications for temporary pavement licences can be found in the related documents section of this page.

Apply for a temporary pavement licence

Download the application form from this page. 

Temporary pavement licences last for a minimum of 3 months. You can apply for a 3 month, 6 month, 12 month long licence, or for one to last until 30 September 2023.

There is currently no fee to be paid for a temporary pavement licence. 

You will need to include in your application: 

  • a location plan to a scale of 1:200 showing the name of the street, the proposed area applied for (including dimensions), and the positions of the street furniture (such as tables and chairs) to be placed within the proposed area
  • photographic images of the proposed street furniture
  • proof of the premises owners or lease holders consent to your application
  • proof of Public Liability Insurance (minimum value of £5,000,000)
  • a copy of the Public Notice you must place on the front of the premises facing the street.

All applications must have had a decision within 14 days of being received. 

If there are no objections to your application it will be granted as soon as the consultation period ends.

You can email your completed application to us at licensing@ashfield.gov.uk or send by post to: 

Licensing Team
Ashfield District Council
Council Offices
Urban Road
Kirkby-In-Ashfield
Nottinghamshire
NG17 8DA.

What happens after I apply?

We have 3 options open to us when making a decision on this licence. We can: 

  • grant the licence
  • grant the licence with conditions applied
  • refuse the licence. 

There will be a 7 day consultation period. You will need to put a public notice on the property, facing the street, for the consultation period. You can download the notice from this page. 

We will also consult with the police, the highways team at Nottinghamshire County Council, and a number of other agencies. 

If there are no objections, or no objections which can't be overcome during the consultation period we will grant your licence. Attached to the licence will be the Government's mandatory conditions (relating to causing no obstruction and providing smoke-free areas), and our standard conditions.

If there are objections that cannot be overcome, we must hold a hearing within a further 7 days to determine your application. There is no right of appeal against an application that is refused. 

Other ways to contact us about the licence

If you have questions about the licence or applying you can contact us by: