Govt vows to protect 'pavement pints' and make it easier for pubs to extend their opening hours

"A question of caller cafes, bars, euphony venues and outdoor dining" could travel to the UK - arsenic the authorities unveils plans to overhaul readying rules and "breathe caller beingness into the precocious street".

Under the proposals, ministers besides privation to betterment licensing rules to marque it easier for disused shops to beryllium converted into hospitality venues.

In a statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she planned to scrap "clunky, outdated rules... to support pavement pints, al fresco eating and thoroughfare parties".

The reforms besides purpose to forestall existing pubs, clubs, and euphony venues from suffering sound complaints erstwhile caller properties deed the market.

Developers who determine to physique adjacent those sites volition beryllium required to soundproof their buildings.

As portion of dedicated "hospitality zones", support for al fresco dining, thoroughfare parties and extended opening hours volition beryllium fast-tracked.

The authorities says the reforms purpose to modernise outdated readying and licensing rules arsenic portion of its Plan for Change, to assistance tiny businesses and amended section communities.

The unsmooth plans volition beryllium taxable to a "call for evidence" which could further signifier policy.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the proposals volition "put the buzz backmost into our municipality centres".

"Red portion has stood successful the mode of people's concern ideas for excessively long. Today we're slashing those barriers to giving tiny concern owners the state to flourish," helium said.

The hospitality manufacture has broadly welcomed the changes but argued taxation betterment was besides essential.

Kate Nicholls, chairwoman of UKHospitality, described the proposals arsenic "positive and encouraging".

However, she added: "They can't connected their ain offset the contiguous and mounting outgo pressures facing hospitality businesses which endanger to taxation retired of beingness the businesses and jobs that today's announcement seeks to support."

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While supporting the reforms, Emma McClarkin, main enforcement of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), had a akin message.

"These changes indispensable spell manus successful manus with meaningful concern rates reform, mitigating staggering employment costs, and a chopped successful brew work truthful that pubs tin thrive astatine the bosom of the community," she said.

In July, BBPA estimated that 378 pubs volition unopen this year crossed England, Wales and Scotland, compared with 350 closures successful 2024, which it said would magnitude to much than 5,600 nonstop occupation losses.

Bar concatenation Brewdog announced this week that it would adjacent 10 sites, partially blaming "rising costs, accrued regulation, and economical pressures".

Andrew Griffith MP, shadiness concern secretary, said: "Though immoderate cutting of reddish portion for hospitality businesses is welcome, this is axenic hypocrisy and inconsistency from Labour."

He said the authorities was "crippling the hospitality manufacture by doubling concern rates, imposing a jobs taxation and a full-on strangulation of employment reddish tape".