Pavement licence

A pavement licence allows you to place removable furniture on certain highways (pavements) adjacent to the premises in relation to which the application was made.

You can use the furniture to sell or serve food or drink. Anything you sell must be supplied from or connected to the relevant use of the premises. Your customers can use the furniture to consume the food or drink you sell.

Where a pavement licence has been granted, clear access routes on the highway will need to be maintained, considering the needs of all users, including people with disabilities and mobility considerations.

Current pavement licences that are due to expire on 30 September 2025 will not automatically be extended. You must apply to renew an existing pavement licence under the Act if you want to continue using pavement licence provisions.

In most cases we will grant (or renew) licences for the maximum 2 years, unless there are good reasons for granting a licence for a shorter period such as plans for future changes in use of road space.

Permitted furniture

The licence allows you to use the following furniture:

• counters or stalls for selling or serving food or drink
• tables, counters or shelves on which food or drink can be placed
• chairs, benches or other forms of seating
• umbrellas, barriers, heaters and other articles used in connection with the outdoor consumption of food or drink

The furniture must be able to be moved easily, and stored away after the licensable period, at end of the day.

Furniture that is not permitted

If you use furniture for selling or consuming food or drink outdoors, it must be removable. Your pavement licence does not allow using furniture for this purpose if it cannot be removed.

If you want to place non-removable furniture on the highway, you must apply for permission under the Highways Act 1980.

Advertising boards are not included in the definition of furniture for this purpose. You need consent under the Highways Act 1980 to use advertising boards. You also need express advertising consent under the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2007.

Consultation process

We will hold a 14-day consultation, beginning the next working day after we have confirmed the application is valid.

We will consult with:

• Highways Authority (Norfolk County Council)
• Community Protection Team
• Planning
• Police Licensing Team
• Police Counter Terrorism
• The relevant Parish or Town Council
• At least one local disability rights group (Broadland District Council only)

together with any other person the Council considers it appropriate to consult.

We will publish the application and any associated information you submit on our website, to allow the public to comment.

Applicants will be encouraged to engage with any services operated in the vicinity for vulnerable customers, for example, care home or disability organisations nearby where individuals may be at particular risk. Applicants will also be encouraged to contact neighbouring businesses and occupiers prior to applying to the Council and take any issues around noise and nuisance into consideration as part of their proposal.

Notice of application

A site notice must be prominently displayed on the premises. It must be visible and readable by members of the public who are not on the premises.

Pavement licence notice of application

The notice must remain in place until the end of the 14-day public consultation period.

We will deem your application invalid if the notice is not in situ for the duration of the consultation period.

Conditions

We will apply standard conditions to every licence we grant, and those granted by tacit approval.

Two national conditions apply to every pavement licence that is granted or deemed to be granted:

• a no-obstruction condition
• a smoke-free seating condition

We will consider both standard and national conditions when determining your application.

We might attach specific extra conditions to some applications. We will discuss these with you during the application process.

Apply for a licence

Submit a pavement licence application

When you submit the form, you must also upload:

• a plan showing the location of the premises with a red line, so we can identify the application site
• a plan showing the dimensions of the proposed area that the licence will cover. The plan must also show:
  • the property boundary and proposed boundary of the area the licence will cover, with a red line showing the area to be licensed
  • the building and kerb lines
  • the furniture layout, with measurements clearly shown, including space between furniture
  • points of access and egress
  • the position of any lighting columns, litter bins, road signs or other existing street furniture
  • the area set aside for smoke-free seating
• photos or brochure images showing what types of furniture you will use
• a photo showing your notice of application on display where the public can easily see and read it, for example on the front window. You can download the notice from the link above
• a copy of your public liability insurance policy for £5m, covering planned activities in the location of the licence. The document must specify the premises address associated with the licence applied for and the policy amount above £5m
• a formal risk assessment if you intend to use heaters, as required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

There is a £364.50 fee for a new (first time) pavement licence application. For an application to renew your pavement licence, the fee is £342.50. This can be paid by credit/debit card by calling 01603 430488.

We will not process your application if you do not include all the documents listed above.

For further guidance or to review our policies.

Decision process

We will decide whether to grant your licence within 14 days of the consultation period ending.

Tacit approval applies if we do not determine your application within 14 days, starting the day after the consultation period finishes. In this case, your licence will be valid for two years.