Every pub and restaurant will be allowed to erect a MARQUEE to boost trade after lockdown 

Get ready for an ale fresco summer! Every pub and restaurant will be allowed to erect a MARQUEE to boost trade after lockdown

  • Robert Jenrick will announce the move as a £56 million ‘welcome back’ initiative 
  • Ministers announced £100 million support for reopening of local authority gyms
  • It is hoped move will help hospitality sector which can’t serve inside until May

All pubs and restaurants will be allowed to erect marquees without planning permission to help them boost trade as they come out of lockdown.

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick will announce the move today as part of a £56 million ‘Welcome Back’ initiative designed to help towns and businesses make the most of the impending freedoms.

Ministers also last night announced an extra £100 million support for the reopening of local authority leisure centres and gyms.

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick will announce the move today as part of a £56 million ‘Welcome Back’ initiative designed to help towns and businesses make the most of the impending freedoms

Ministers also last night announced an extra u00A3100 million support for the reopening of local authority leisure centres and gyms

Ministers also last night announced an extra £100 million support for the reopening of local authority leisure centres and gyms

Last year, the 28-day rule which limits the use of temporary structures was suspended for pub and restaurant marquees to allow for their use throughout the summer. 

This year, the rule is set to be suspended from as early as April 12, when outdoor hospitality is set to resume. The suspension will continue throughout the summer.

The flexibility will also be extended to an estimated 9,000 pubs and restaurants which could not make use of it last year because of listed building status or other local restrictions.

Ministers hope the move will help the hospitality sector, which is not due to be able to serve customers indoors until at least May 17. Mr Jenrick said the suspension of normal planning rules was a ‘one-off power to support our locals’.

Additional flexibility will also be given to shops, with councils asked to make a ‘presumption in favour’ of applications to set up stalls outside their premises or operate outdoor markets. And Mr Jenrick will write to local authorities ordering them to reopen public toilets in time for the unlocking of the economy.

A separate review has also been launched into the provision of more public toilets, particularly for women, and ministers are set to press ahead with a crackdown on cowboy parking firms, with limits on charges and a simplified appeals process.

Under the ‘Welcome Back’ fund, grants will be made available to towns for street planting, tidying up parks and installing new outdoor seating. Funding will also be available to support local festivals and street markets and to deploy Covid measures such as installing signs and employing marshals.

Mr Jenrick said: ‘As we move to the next stage on the roadmap out of lockdown, we are all looking forward to being reunited with friends and family outdoors and making a safe and happy return to our favourite shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants.

‘This funding will help councils and businesses to welcome shoppers, diners and tourists back safely for a great summer.’

Meanwhile, the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund will be available to help local authorities reopen facilities deemed essential to boosting the public’s health and fitness.