Pavement licences

A pavement licence is a licence granted by the local authority which allows the licence holder to place removable furniture over certain highways adjacent to the premises in relation to which the application was made.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 makes permanent the provisions set out in the Business and Planning Act 2020.

Who is eligible?

You may only apply if your business is:

• A public house, wine bar or other drinking establishment; and/or
• For the sale of food or drink for consumption on or off the premises.

Any furniture used, must only be used:

• To sell or serve food and/or drink supplied from, or in connection with, the relevant use of the premises
• By other persons for the purpose of consuming food or drink supplied from, or in connection with, the relevant use of the premises.

If your business already has a valid Tables and Chairs licence, you do not need to apply.

Before you apply

1. You will be asked to upload a plan of the proposed area. We ask that you add the following to this plan:
   1. A red line to indicate the border of the proposed area.
   2. The measurements of the proposed area.
   3. The location of the furniture within the proposed area.
   4. The location of your ‘smoke free seating area’ in line with the national condition.
2. We highly recommend that you read the local and national conditions. You will be asked to confirm that you have read them at the end of the application form.

Conditions and policies

The licence will be subject to conditions:

• Gravesham local conditions
• Medway local conditions
• National conditions

Medway applicants are required to follow the Medway pavement licensing policy.

Failure to adhere to the conditions could result in your Pavement Licence being revoked, meaning all your furniture will have to be removed.

After you apply

You must display a site notice on your premises on the same day that you apply. This notice must remain in place for the 14 day consultation period after the application has been made. You will automatically receive the notice, by email, once you have submitted the application.

The Council will also post this notice on our website.

Following this consultation period the Local Authority will have a further 14 days in which to make a decision on your application.

If the authority don’t make a decision within this 14 day period, ‘Tacit Consent’ applies, which means that it is automatically granted.

What happens if my licence is granted?

If your licence is granted, you must provide a copy of your £5 million public liability insurance certificate to our Licensing team, prior to the licence being issued.