Pavement Cafes are areas of the public highway on which tables and chairs may be placed and where food and/or drink is consumed.
Public highways exist to allow the general public to pass and re-pass along them. Before agreeing to place a Pavement Café on the public highway, the Council has to ensure that the publics right to use the highway are not detrimentally affected. It is important to ensure that Pavement Cafes are located, designed and managed in a way that protects the rights and users, particularly pedestrians. The Council's policies, standards and byelaws also need to be complied with for health, safety and environmental reasons.
There two main types of permission which have to be obtained from the City Council:
- Highway Permission under the S.115E of the Highways Act 1980 for permission to place the tables and chairs on the highway under the terms of the Highways Act 1980. You should be aware that Newcastle City Council cannot grant permission unless it obtains the consent of interested frontagers.
- Planning permission for the change of the use of the highway to a Pavement Café, (This applies even if you already operate food premises adjacent to the site of the proposed café)
If you wish to serve alcohol at the Pavement Café you will need a premises licence from the City Council as Licensing Authority. If you operate existing adjacent premises for which you hold a premises licence you will need to make an application to vary the licence to cover pavement café.
How to Apply
By completing the forms below.
Pavement Cafe Renewal Online Form
Please note if you wish to apply online you will need to apply for planning permission separately. For more information and to apply go to our planning webpage
Pavement Cafe Application Form (PDF 37kb)
Pavement Cafe Renewal Application Form (PDF 37kb)
Pavement Cafe Guidance Notes (PDF 23kb)
Current Licence Fees (PDF 9.2kb)
Will Tacit Consent Apply?
Yes. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard by the end of the target completion period which is 56 days (subject to receipt of any representations) from the date of submission of all correct and relevant information.
Contact Details
For further information or clarification please contact the:
Licensing Authority, Regulatory Services and Public Protection, Room 704, Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8PB
Phone: 0191 211 6131
Email: licensing@newcastle.gov.uk
