New clubs, bars and cafes will be able to set up in disused shops more easily under government plans to revitalise the ‘buzz of the high street’.
It is hoped the move will mean long-empty storefronts can welcome new owners with less hassle and expense from red tape.
Changes to licensing and planning laws would also mean permission for al fresco dining and street parties can be fast-tracked in dedicated ‘hospitality zones’.
The move has been welcomed by the Night Time Industries Association, which represents nightlife and music venues around the UK.
CEO Michael Kill said: ‘Fast-tracking permissions for al fresco dining, extending trading hours, and protecting pavement pints are not just regulatory changes, they’re a reaffirmation of Britain’s social identity and our unique nightlife culture.’
The government has also committed to extending the ‘Agent of Change’ licensing principle to bring it into effect nationally.
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This ensures the responsibility for ensuring residents of a new development are not impacted by noise from local pubs or clubs falls to the developer, and not the businesses themselves.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: ‘This government has a plan to replace shuttered up shops with vibrant places to socialise turning them into thriving cafés or busy bars, which supports local jobs and gives people a place to get together and catch up over a beer or a coffee.
‘Red tape has stood in the way of people’s business ideas for too long. Today we’re slashing those barriers to giving small business owners the freedom to flourish.’
Chancellor Rachel Reeves added the ‘clunky, outdated rules’ dictating what firms can open where will be ditched ‘not just for the summer, but all year round’.
But Andrew Griffith, the Conservative Shadow Business Secretary, said the move represented ‘pure hypocrisy and inconsistency from Labour’.
He said: ‘This socialist government is crippling the hospitality industry by doubling business rates, imposing a Jobs Tax and a full-on strangulation of employment red tape.
‘As the result, shorter opening hours, shedding jobs and expensive pints are becoming the norm.’
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