THE Government has announced plans to extend licences to allow alfresco dining to stay beyond the pandemic.

Licences that allow pavement seating and takeaway pints are here to stay in a bid to help businesses who have struggled over the past 18 months – and it may just breathe some extra life into high streets across the conurbation.

Cllr Philip Broadhead, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council deputy leader and portfolio holder for regeneration, economy and strategic planning, said: “We are delighted with the Government’s recent announcement to extend pavement licences and very much welcome this extension.

“Over the last year people have placed a high value in being able to get outside, and with social distancing very much still in place this will allow our cafés and restaurants to continue utilising their outdoor space, creating a thriving café culture similar to that of our European counterparts.”

The principle is to provide a ‘lifeline’ to businesses who have struggled during the past 18 months, says Tony Sophoclides, who is strategic affairs director at the industry association, UK Hospitality.

He told the |Daily Echo: “By effectively extending the capacity of venues, this will help expedite the journey back to viability and profit, safeguarding jobs and businesses in the area.”

It is hoped that extending licences will bring in extra revenue for all town centre businesses by making the pavements of the country’s high streets a more popular place to be.

Mr Sophoclides said: “Hospitality and retail are closely linked and recent years have seen a tightening of that relationship, with people bookending their shopping trips with a drink or meal, or with incidental retail from those enjoying hospitality venues.

“The pavement licensing will only help in this regard, bringing venues outdoors to passers-by, making them more visible and accessible.”

Cllr. Broadhead said: “We are emerging from the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic by reconnecting with our family and friends and this extension will help to revitalise our hospitality and tourism sectors and enable it to bounce back and prosper.”