Wellingborough pubs and cafes can now apply to put seats on the public highway

Wellingborough businesses can now apply for a free pavement licence to serve food and drink outdoors.

Wellingborough Council unanimously agreed to set a zero fee for the new pavement licence that is being introduced to support businesses as the Covid-19 lockdown measures are relaxed.

The authority has followed Kettering in the no-fee move and anticipates about 10 to 12 businesses will be applying for the new licence.

It will authorise public houses, restaurants, cafes or other drinking establishments to put removable furniture on part of the public highway to sell or serve food or drink from their premises or for customers to consume food or drink from the licence holder’s premises.

Council leader Martin Griffiths said: “The business and planning bill is a positive step in supporting the hospitality trade in reopening.

“Expanding the floor space available to them will help to make it more economically viable for businesses to open while complying with the required social distancing measures to ensure public safety.

“I would like to propose a nil fee to show that we are doing all we can to help local businesses in these extremely difficult and challenging times and to support the sector back in to trading as swiftly as possible and within the guidelines.

“This also complements the decision of offering free market space in the town centre for the next three months.

“Wellingborough Council continues to do the right things to support town centre businesses. The ongoing works to improve heritage buildings, the recently started public realm improvements in the Tithe Barn area, the rebuild of the Tresham College and the impressive improvements to the multi storey car park show that Wellingborough is very much open for business.”

The pavement licences were welcomed by councillors from all political persuasions although leader of the opposition Andrew Scarborough said despite being a ‘splendid idea’ it needed some ‘tinkering around the edges’.

He had concerns about street drinking saying the fights outside the Golden Lion in Sheep Street were legendary and wanted to know more about the criteria that would be used to agree or deny a licence, adding that he also wanted to know if a pavement licence could be withdrawn if there were problems.