Pavement licences

You need a Pavement licence if you want to place furniture such as tables and chairs on the highway outside your licensed premises, café or restaurant.  If you own the land that you wish to place street furniture on, then it is possible that you may not need to apply for a licence however it is suggested you contact the Licensing Team first to make sure you do not need a licence.  In this case Planning Permission may apply.

You can check the status of the land to confirm whether it falls within the definition of a highway by looking at Essex County Council Highways Information Map.

Pavement licences fall under the Business and Planning Act 2020 as amended by the Levelling up and Regeneration Act 2023 The key features of a Pavement licence are:

• there is a fee of £100.00 (To be reviewed in 2024 where grant and renewal fees will be set)
• the licence lasts for two years unless specified otherwise
• there is a 14-day consultation period
• there is a 14-day determination period
• you do not need planning permission

Pavement licence guidance

You can find guidance on pavement licences  on GOV.UK.

Current applications

• You can view our list of current applications for Pavement licences.

Sufficient Toilet provision

Regardless of whether you apply for a pavement licence you must ensure that you have sufficient toilet provision for the total number of customer seats (inside and outside) that you will have if your licence is granted.