Licensing Laws and Planning Permission
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the interaction between temporary licensing extensions and planning conditions affecting opening hours for pubs and hospitality venues.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
Due to the quasi-judicial role of MHCLG Ministers in the planning system, I am unable to comment on the details of specific planning applications or proposals.
It is for individual local planning authorities to take enforcement action depending on the particular circumstances of each case.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to the relationship between planning and other regulatory regimes, including licencing.
The draft Framework sets out that planning decisions should not seek to duplicate or extend controls imposed by separate regulatory regimes, but matters which are controlled by separate regulatory regimes may, in the context of a particular development proposal, be a material consideration where they have land-use implications. It also encourages the parallel processing of planning and other regulatory consents where this can help to align and expedite the consenting of development.
We are currently analysing the feedback received to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.
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