Cafés, bars and restaurants in Chichester will soon have to pay to place chairs and tables outside their premises.
Pavement licences will be introduced across the district from September 30 2025 – though small businesses will receive a 20% discount on the cost.
Since the pandemic, Chichester District Council has been responsible for processing applications for the licences – a temporary arrangement brought in in 2020 to help keep businesses afloat while observing social distancing rules.
While it could have charged up to £100 for the licences, it chose to make them free.
Now that temporary arrangement has become permanent and fees have been introduced to cover the council’s costs.
Businesses with a rateable value of £33,001 or higher will pay £285 for a new one-year licence, £222 to renew a one-year licence, £362 for a new two-year licence, and £298 to renew a two-year licence.
For smaller businesses, the charges will be £228, £177.50, £289.50, and £238.50 respectively.
Any licence granted before September 30 2025 will not attract a fee but will expire on that date.
The issue had bounced back and forth between the cabinet and the licensing committee while details were discussed.
The final thumbs-up was given during a meeting of the licensing committee last week.
Laurence Foord, divisional manager for communications, licensing & events, said the current licences had ‘added a vibrancy to the city centre’.
He added: “There is definitely an appetite for people to enjoy al fresco dining later into the summer evenings by dining outdoors under the benefit of a pavement licence.
“I do think it adds and enhances the city centre vibrancy, aesthetics and the experience for visitors coming to the city and further afield in the district.”
