Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Al fresco dining will be on the menu in England this summer as part of Boris Johnson’s plan to significantly ease the coronavirus lockdown from July 4.
Planning laws will be relaxed so pubs, restaurants and cafes can serve customers outside.
They will also be able to use car parks and terraces as dining and drinking areas as part of measures in new legislation introduced today.
Licensing laws will also be relaxed to allow pubs and restaurants to sell drinks that can be enjoyed away from the establishment, in a move Downing Street hopes will make social distancing easier.
The business and planning bill is also designed to cut planning regulations to boost outdoor street trading and markets, and the government working with councils to pedestrianise areas of towns and cities.
No.10 hopes the new laws will give a boost to food and drink firms that have been forced to close during the three-month lockdown.
The government also wants the moves to encourage the safe return to work of hospitality staff and provide a boost to the high streets.
The new laws come amid unease in certain quarters about the prime minister’s decision to ease the lockdown in England on July 4.
HuffPost UK revealed on Wednesday that the government is not certain that the coronavirus R rate is below 1 in England, meaning the disease may not be under control even as lockdown restrictions are being lifted.
Health leaders have meanwhile called for an urgent review to ensure Britain is properly prepared for the “real risk” of a second wave of coronavirus.
Ministers have been warned that urgent action is needed to prevent further loss of life and to protect the economy amid growing fears of a renewed outbreak over the winter.