Ministers have pledged to make it easier to open new bars, music venues and cafes as part of plans to rejuvenate the high street. The Government wants to slash red tape that has long hindered small business owners from converting empty shops into thriving hospitality venues.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she wants to "protect pavement pints" as a new licensing framework will fast-track permissions for al fresco dining in dedicated areas. The Government is looking to modernise planning rules to breathe new life into struggling town centres across Britain.
Fast-track permissions for hospitality zones
The plans include making it easier to convert disused shops into venues, with dedicated "hospitality zones" that could see permissions for outside dining, street parties and extended opening hours pushed through quickly. Developers will also be made responsible for soundproofing buildings they construct near pubs or clubs to protect existing venues from noise complaints.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the Government has a plan to replace shuttered shops with vibrant places to socialise. "Red tape has stood in the way of people's business ideas for too long," Reynolds said.
Government promises to bin outdated rules
"This Government has a plan to replace shuttered up shops with vibrant places to socialise, turning them into thriving cafes or busy bars, which support local jobs and give people a place to get together and catch up over a beer or a coffee," Reynolds added. He said the changes would give small business owners the freedom to flourish.
Reeves said that "pubs and bars are at the heart of British life" but have been stifled by clunky, outdated rules. "We're binning them, to protect pavement pints, al fresco dining and street parties - not just for the summer, but all year round," she added.
Industry faces mounting closure crisis
The announcement comes as the hospitality sector faces a mounting crisis, with an industry body warning that more than one pub per day will close across Great Britain this year. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimated that 378 pubs will close this year across England, Wales and Scotland, resulting in more than 5,600 direct job losses.
The projected 2025 figures compare with 350 closures in 2024, highlighting the worsening situation. Bar chain Brewdog announced this week that it would close 10 of its venues, with chief executive James Taylor citing "rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures".
Industry welcomes changes but demands more
Representatives of the hospitality industry welcomed the changes but said they should go hand in hand with a cut to business rates. Kate Nicholls, chairwoman of UKHospitality, said cost pressures threaten to "tax out of existence" some businesses.
"We strongly welcome these proposals to cut red tape and make it easier to open and operate hospitality venues, create jobs and grow the economy," Nicholls said. "But positive and encouraging as these measures certainly are, they can't on their own offset the immediate and mounting cost pressures facing hospitality businesses."
Opposition criticises Government approach
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the changes must go hand in hand with meaningful business rates reform and a cut in beer duty. She welcomed that many of the industry's recommendations on cutting red tape would be acted upon.
Andrew Griffith, shadow business secretary, accused the Government of "pure hypocrisy and inconsistency". He said Labour was "crippling the hospitality industry by doubling business rates, imposing a jobs tax and a full-on strangulation of employment red tape", leading to shorter opening hours, job losses and expensive pints.
The Government has said the plans will be subject to a call for evidence before implementation.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
