Government plans to make outdoor measures for high streets permanent

The government has launched a public consultation, proposing to make temporary measures that allowed using outdoor space more easily during the Covid-19 pandemic permanent.

The move follows the huge boost to high streets as the permitted development rights (PDRs) helped businesses to attract consumers when the nation reopened from the pandemic. The government is aiming to make two of these permanent so that people can continue to enjoy outdoor hospitality and local attractions.

“The simple reforms we made during the pandemic to help hospitality businesses, markets and historic visitor attractions make use of outdoor spaces more easily, made a massive impact. They helped thousands of businesses and attraction to prosper, made out town centres livelier and have been enjoyed by millions of us,” Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said.

The PDRs introduced over the past year and that the government is now consulting on include: right for markets to be held by or on behalf of local councils and right for moveable structures in the grounds of pubs, cafes, restaurants and historic visitor attractions.

As lockdown restrictions were eased in June 2020, the government implemented a temporary PDR which allowed markets to be held by, or on behalf of local councils for an unlimited number of days, including the provision of moveable structures related to this use.

In April 2021, moveable structures such as marquees and additional seating were allowed for the first time in the grounds of listed buildings, helping support the important hospitality and tourism sectors.

There were three other temporary PDRs implemented in response to the pandemic, which are not subject to the consultation.

These include the right allowing pubs, cafes, and restaurants to operate as takeaways without needing to apply to change use, which the government said will not be extended beyond 23 March 2022,

The second is a right which allows for additional days for the temporary use of land for any purpose, doubling the days allowed from 28 to 56 in 2020, and subsequently 2021. This will expire on 31 December 2021 and it is not proposed to extend the additional days.

The third one has been the right allowing for emergency development by local authorities or health service bodies to respond to the spread of Coronavirus. This right is also due to expire on 31 December 2021, but the government said it will only be extended on a temporary basis if it is necessary to do so.