Pavement Cafés Planning and Design Guidance

For the purposes of this guidance, pavement cafés are defined as areas of the public highway where food and/or drink is served and consumed.

Well designed and managed pavement cafés can enhance attractiveness and add vitality, life, and interest. Newcastle City Council supports and encourages pavement cafes but recognises that if they are uncontrolled, they can be unsightly and can create an obstacle and a danger to people, for example wheelchair and mobility aid users, visually impaired people and people with reduced mobility.

Newcastle City Council have prepared this Pavement Cafés Planning and Design Guidance to help businesses understand:

• Locations that are appropriate for pavement cafés,
• The permissions that are needed from the council, and,
• How applications will be assessed.

View the Pavement Cafes Guidance document (pdf, 5mb)

Next Steps:

The Council are offering the opportunity to meet with individual businesses to provide advice on licencing, planning and highway matters. The cost of a 45 minute meeting (either in person or via Teams) would be £350 and this will include representatives from the 3 relevant areas.

If you wish to take up the offer of a meeting could you please email Planning.Control@newcastle.gov.uk and include any plans or proposals that you have for your pavement café. We will then be in contact to arrange a convenient date/time for a meeting.

How to Apply: 

• Apply for a Pavement Licence
• Apply for Pavement Café Permission

• Apply for Planning Permission