Permanent Planning Changes for Hospitality

On 20th December 2021, the ‘Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ announced that some of the temporary permitted development rights introduced during the pandemic will be made permanent. These include pubs, cafes and restaurants being able to install movable structures such as gazebos and marques on their own land without planning permission. Councils will also be able to hold street markets except where they are on sites designated as Scheduled Monuments and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Covered outdoor spaces have proved to be a vital resource for many hospitality businesses during the pandemic.

More restrictions apply to hospitality businesses operating in listed buildings, however, they will still be able to install a gazebo for 120 days in a 12-month period. This will provide additional flexibility while minimising the impacts to heritage sites.

To minimise the impacts of moveable structures on surrounding communities, restrictions will apply including limits to size, height and distance to residential boundaries.

For more details, contact the TPP Planning Team.