Covid-19: Pub marquees could become permanent fixtures

Marquees set up by pubs and restaurants during the Covid pandemic could become permanent on-site fixtures, under government proposals.

Ministers are consulting on plans to allow some of extra seating introduced by outdoor hospitality to continue.

Street markets may also be allowed to open all year but a continuation of al fresco dining on roads is not planned.

The hospitality industry welcomed the plans but said firms still faced "huge hurdles" as the weather turned colder.

The consultation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is examining the changes introduced during the pandemic to encourage customers to dine outdoors to reduce the spread of Covid.

The government says it is aiming to make a number of these permanent so people can "continue to enjoy outdoor hospitality and local attractions, and businesses can innovate".

A temporary lifting of restrictions in June 2020 allowed councils to permit street markets for an unlimited number of days. They had previously only been allowed to be held for 14 days a year.

The second proposal in the consultation concerns marquees that have sprung up in the grounds of pubs, cafes and restaurants, as well as other new "moveable structures" in listed buildings, such as shelters for ticket sales.

But a height limit of four metres (12ft) could be brought in, and the size of any new structure would not be allowed to take up more than 50% of the space of the existing buildings on a site.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "The simple reforms we made during the pandemic to help hospitality businesses, markets and historic visitor attractions make use of outdoor spaces more easily, made a massive impact.

"As part of our vision to transform high streets into thriving places to work, visit and live, we intend to make as many of these measures permanent fixtures of British life as possible."

The trade association UK Hospitality said the outdoor structures had acted as a "vital lifeline during an extraordinarily difficult period".

But it warned moves by some local authorities to open up roads again for traffic would be a significant blow.

UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: "It is in the interest of the country to have a thriving, dynamic and properly-supported hospitality sector and retaining these outdoor measures would help secure the recovery of a large and vital part of the UK economy."