Councillor Robert Benham, Cabinet Member for Community Empowerment, introduced the report

It was explained that the Council and its partners were delivering an ambitious programme of initiatives to secure the regeneration of Romford including the preparation of planning and regeneration strategies, public realm improvements and tackling congestion. Such measures would make Romford a more attractive place to visit, work and live and would assist its response to the competition provided by Lakeside, Bluewater and Westfield at Stratford.

The report recommended a simplified process for allowing eating and drinking businesses in specific areas of Romford town centre to develop a pavement café type ‘offer’ as part of enhancing Romford’s attractiveness. Such an approach would add to its vitality and viability and should help to broaden its appeal to a wider range of customers.

A Local Development Order (LDO) was recommended to deliver this. LDOs enabled local planning authorities to grant planning permission for specified activities by extending permitted development rights within a defined area and subject to the LDO’s conditions. They were consistent with local determination and the shift to remove bureaucracy and incentivise development that meets locally specific policy objectives. The controls on pavement cafés permitted by the LDO would be at least as stringent as the controls previously imposed when planning permissions were granted to individual businesses. The controls aimed to protect and enhance the quality of the town centre and to ensure that any pavement cafés make a positive contribution to Romford town centre. The General Design Guidance for the LDO provided controls on the signage associated with the café.

It was explained that the Romford Town Centre Pavement Cafés LDO would allow pavement cafes within specified areas of Romford Town Centre where the lawful use of the premises was A3 (Restaurants and Cafés) or A4 (Drinking Establishments). It included design guidance specific to each area to ensure the protection and enhancement of the Conservation Area.

It was noted that the LDO would serve to encourage local businesses to establish well-designed pavement cafés to support a coherent street scene, while concentrating the regulatory responsibility for pavements cafés within the Trading Standards Service.

It was emphasised that a Street Trading Licence would need to be obtained prior to the establishment of a pavement café, which would regulate, among other things, the hours during which each pavement café would be permitted to operate.

The report outlined the purpose of the LDO, the regulatory process and results of the consultation on the proposed LDO.

Reasons for the decision:

The statutory authority for an LDO comes from sections 61A-D and Schedule 4A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). Schedule 4A dealing with procedure on LDOs at paragraph 3 states 'a local development order is of no effect unless it is adopted by resolution of the local planning authority'. Therefore for the LDO to come into effect, Cabinet must resolve to adopt the LDO, subject to approval by the Secretary of State.

Other options considered:

There were no alternative options as the requirements for adoption of an LDO are set out in statute and subordinate legislation. Should the Council choose not to adopt the LDO, pavement cafés would continue to require individual planning permissions, imposing an unnecessary regulatory burden on local businesses, and involving additional work and costs for the Council.

Cabinet AGREED:

1          To adopt the Romford Town Centre Pavement Cafés Local Development Order (LDO), attached as Appendix 2 to the report, subject to approval by the Secretary of State.