A Westminster pavement licence costs £500 new or £350 to renew, lasts 3 to 6 months, and needs a 2m clear footway. How to apply, and how residents can object.

A pavement licence in Westminster is the council’s permission for a café, pub, restaurant or bar to put removable tables and chairs on the pavement outside. It costs £500 for a new application and £350 to renew, it runs for between three and six months, and the layout has to leave at least two metres of clear pavement for people walking past. Applications are decided within 28 days, and residents get 14 days to comment on each one.

Westminster’s term is much shorter than the national norm. Government guidance expects councils to grant licences for the maximum two years unless there is a good reason not to; Westminster’s own page says it “will not grant a licence for more than six months”. A business that wants tables out all year has to reapply at least twice.

What a pavement licence covers

The scheme was brought in as a temporary measure in 2020 under the Business and Planning Act and made permanent by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. It replaced Westminster’s old “tables and chairs” licence: if a business had one of those, it now needs a pavement licence instead.

A licence lets a business use part of the highway next to its premises for removable furniture used to sell, serve or consume food and drink. According to the council, eligible businesses include:

  • pubs, bars and restaurants
  • cafés, snack bars and coffee shops
  • ice cream parlours
  • supermarkets and entertainment venues that sell food and drink as part of their business

It does not cover A-boards, hoardings, building works, temporary structures or awnings, which need separate highway or planning permissions. Planning permission is not needed for the licence itself. Alcohol can only be served in the licensed area if the premises also has a premises licence or temporary event notice under the Licensing Act 2003; our page on Westminster licensing hours covers how those work.

Fees and how long a licence lasts

Westminster
New application £500
Renewal on exactly the same terms £350
Licence length At least 3 months, no more than 6 months
Usual hours 11am to 11pm, unless there are exceptional reasons
Public consultation 14 days, excluding public holidays
Decision Within 28 days of a valid application

Both fees sit at the national caps of £500 and £350. A renewal only applies if the business wants exactly the same terms as an existing licence; any change, or a licence that has already expired, means a new £500 application.

From 1 June 2026 Westminster moved to a new online system. New applications and renewals made on the old system are no longer accepted.

What Westminster requires before it will grant one

Every application must include:

  • the premises and exactly where on the pavement the furniture will go
  • the days and hours of use
  • the type and amount of furniture
  • public liability insurance of at least £5 million covering the area
  • a risk assessment if electric heaters will be used
  • photographs showing the public notice displayed at the premises
  • a scaled highway plan with a location map, all nearby street furniture, and smoking and non-smoking areas clearly marked, at least 2 metres apart where possible

The space rules

The council’s layout rules are where most applications succeed or fail:

  • 2 metres of clear pedestrian route along the whole site, rising to 4 metres on streets with heavy footfall.
  • A set-back of at least 0.45 metres from the kerb edge if the furniture goes at the kerb.
  • A footway at least 2.8 metres deep in total: 2 metres for pedestrians plus 0.8 metres for tables and chairs.
  • An extra 0.9 metres if staff need an access route to serve tables.
  • No standing tables or barrels that encourage people to eat or drink standing up.

Umbrellas, gazebos and heaters may be refused where the street is too narrow for them to be safe. Electric heaters can be added to an existing licence by email with a risk assessment, at no extra fee, but adding umbrellas or gazebos needs a new application.

Conditions once it is granted

Westminster’s standard conditions, in force since 16 April 2025, include: everyone in the area must be seated; no loudspeakers or amplified sound; all furniture must be removable, brought in by the closing time on the licence and stored so it cannot be used overnight; nothing may be fixed into the pavement; the licence must be on display in the window; and the area must be kept clean. Furniture must be moved immediately if the council, the police, emergency services or a utility company need the space.

How residents can comment or object

Every application goes on Westminster’s public pavement licence register, which shows applications in consultation as well as granted and expired licences. While an application is in its 14-day consultation, anyone can comment through the register, including residents, neighbouring businesses and amenity societies.

The business must put up a public notice at the premises on the day it applies. The 14 days run from the day after the application is made, and if the application turns out to be incomplete the business has to put up a fresh notice once it fills the gaps.

Comments carry most weight when they address the things the council is required to consider, such as:

  • the pavement being too narrow for the proposed layout, or the clear route falling below 2 metres
  • access for wheelchair users, people with buggies and blind or partially sighted people
  • noise and nuisance to neighbours, especially at night
  • obstruction of entrances, bus stops or crossings

If a licensed business breaks its conditions, for example by staying out past its hours or letting the area spill over its plan, report it to the council’s street licensing team. For noise from an outside area, see our guide to Westminster noise complaints.

Why the six-month limit matters

Under the national rules, if a council does not decide an application within its deadline the licence is “deemed” granted for two years. The government’s guidance says councils should be “pragmatic and will grant licences the maximum 2 years” unless there are good reasons for a shorter term, such as planned changes to the street.

Westminster’s pages do not give a reason for its six-month cap. Its Streets and Spaces public realm guidance sets separate layout and density rules for outdoor seating, and the council can add conditions to individual licences. For businesses, the practical effect is a renewal at least twice a year, at £350 a time if nothing changes, against a single application every two years under the national expectation.

Pavement seating has been part of a wider argument in the West End this year; see our report on the Westminster pub standing ban row and the 2026 licensing policy.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a pavement licence in Westminster? £500 for a new application and £350 to renew an existing licence on exactly the same terms, as listed by Westminster City Council on 29 September 2026.

How long does a Westminster pavement licence last? At least three months and no more than six months. National guidance expects two years, but Westminster sets its own shorter limit.

How long does it take to get a pavement licence? Westminster says applications that meet the requirements are decided within 28 days. That includes a 14-day public consultation, during which a notice must be displayed at the premises.

Do I need planning permission for tables and chairs outside my café? Not for the pavement licence itself. You do need separate consent for A-boards, awnings, hoardings or any fixed structures.

How do I object to a pavement licence in Westminster? Comment through the council’s pavement licence register while the application is in its 14-day consultation. Focus on pavement width, access, obstruction and nuisance.

What hours can tables be outside in Westminster? Licences are generally granted only between 11am and 11pm, unless the business gives exceptional reasons for other hours. The hours must also fit any road closure on the street.

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