Council to cover the cost for outside eating and drinking applications.
The Forest of Dean District Council has today (23 July) launched its streamlined application process for licences to place tables and chairs outside pubs and cafes.
The scheme is a response to new government legislation, the Business and Planning Act, which became law yesterday.
Councillor Bernie O’Neill, Cabinet Member for Economy, including Business Support and Jobs, said: “I am pleased we have been able to get the scheme up and running on the first possible day and that the council is covering all the costs of applications.
These are challenging times for all town centres and I hope encouraging outside seating like this will let residents know that the Forest’s towns are open for business and safe for visitors. We will still need to make sure that pavements are clear so people can safely pass by and that there is no nuisance, but we want as many places as possible to make full use of this change in legislation.’
Business can apply through the councils website www.fdean.gov.uk/pavementlicence