Temporary pavement licensing regime now made permanent

As we anticipated in previous enews, the fast-track pavement licensing regime has now been made permanent, commencing on Sunday, 31^st March.

Guidance on the changes can be found here.

There is also a helpful letter from the Government here.

Some of the key points include:

• There will be a £500 cap for new applications and a £350 cap for renewal (rather than £100 previously)
• Local authorities will be able to grant licences for a length of their choosing, up to two years (local authorities are encouraged to grant licences for two years as standard)
• The consultation and determination periods will be 14 days each.
• The new guidance makes clear that a minimum width of 2000mm clear space should be provided between the obstacle and the edge of the footway. However, if this is not feasible due to physical constraints, then a minimum width of 1500mm could be regarded as the minimum acceptable distance.
• Existing licence holders can retain their licences granted under the temporary regime until the expiration date on their licence.

Further details to follow.