Pubs and restaurants will soon be able to offer a hot food takeaway service despite being closed for their eat in service.
Sustain welcomes how this could help people especially in rural communities get a hot meal as well as enabling businesses generate income. It will also increase access to a wider variety of food to those relying on prepared hot meals from traditional takeaways. Planning rules will be relaxed so pubs and restaurants can operate as hot food takeaways during the coronavirus outbreak.
Currently, planning permission is required for businesses to carry out a change of use to a hot food takeaway. The government has confirmed regulations will be relaxed to enable businesses to deliver this service without a planning application.
The government has confirmed the relaxations to planning rules will be put in place as soon as possible to provide reassurance to businesses and enable them to start providing takeaways to people quickly.
The measures will apply to hot food and drinks. Serving of alcoholic drinks will continue to be subject to existing licensing laws.
The government will introduce a time limited permitted development right through secondary legislation to allow the temporary change of use of a pub and a restaurant / cafe to a hot-food take away for a period of up to 12 months only. Businesses will be required to tell the local planning authority when the new use begins and ends.
Published Monday 23 March 2020
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
