Street Café Licensing

Charnwood Borough Council has adopted provisions under the Highways Act 1980, creating the need for a licence for placing tables and chairs on the street or pavement. It will affect every café, bar, restaurant and other food and drink outlet in the borough which provides external seating, on the street or pavement, for the consumption of food and drink.

There are two levels of licence fee, one where the sale of alcohol takes place, which costs £200 annually and the other where there is no sale of alcohol, which costs £100.

This licence alone does not permit the sale of alcohol. A premises licence issued under the Licensing Act 2003 will be required in addition to the street café licence.

Application forms and standard conditions for street café licences can be found below.

Every application for a street café licence will be considered by a panel of Councillors, drawn from the Licensing Committee of the Council, and notice of the application must be given to the police, to give them the opportunity of commenting on the application.