Outdoor dining and drinking will become a permanent feature in England after the government decided to make alfresco pavement licences permanent.
Alfresco dining, allowing outside seating, tables and street stalls, is reportedly set to become law, according to metro.co.uk. It’s estimated that each alfresco seat could provide a boost of up to £6,000/$7,400 a year for the one third of UK pubs, bars and restaurants that have space to apply for a permanent licence.
The decision, which is expected to make it easier and cheaper for hospitality businesses to serve customers outdoors, has seen as ‘a huge step forward’ for hospitality venues who are still struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Delivering the Queen’s speech today, Prince Charles said: "A bill will be brought forward to drive local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas, and ensuring everyone can share in the United Kingdom’s success." The alfresco dining measures are part of this package.
The pandemic and Brexit have severely hit UK hospitality industry. Half of former hospitality staff said they would not want to return to their previous position, according to Joblist's second-quarter survey while the trade group UK Hospitality estimates that two years of Covid has damaged the industry to the tune of £115 billion/$142 billion.
Prince Charles delivers Queen's speech for the first time – video https://t.co/6wdtUrv8M7
— The Guardian (@guardian) May 10, 2022
