A HIKE in charges for street café licenses has been met with anger and upset by Newton Abbot businesses.

Businesses can now expect to pay as much as £500 for a new application or £350 to renew an existing one as Teignbridge District Council (TDC) takes responsibility for issuing licenses.

This is a sharp increase from what Newton Abbot Town Council (NATC) charged - £170 for a new application and £85 for a renewal - when it was responsible for issuing licenses on behalf of Devon County Council (DCC).

A hike in charges for street cafe licences by Teignbridge District Council has upset many businesses in Newton Abbot. Tables and chairs outside The Country Table
(Steve Pope/MDA)

During the pandemic, the then Government introduced a temporary pavement licensing scheme via the Business and Planning Act 2020; this act was amended in March of 2024 and the changes therein made permanent.

To cut a long story short, as a result of the legislative changes, licenses previously issued by NATC under the Highways Act 1980 can no longer be renewed by them.

‘If you current pavement license is due to expire, or has already expired, you will need to apply to TDC for a pavement license’ a letter sent to Newton Abbot businesses read.

Importantly, fees will be set locally, and it is for the licensing authority, TDC in the case, to determine the appropriate charge; fees are capped at a maximum of £500 for first time applications and £350 for renewals, so businesses could, theoretically, pay less.

Teignbridge District Council have been approached for comment.

Since 2020, NATC waived the street café license fee in a bid to support local businesses during a turbulent time.

In light of the rate increase, the Mid-Devon Advertiser visited several businesses in the town affected by the change.

The general mood was not a positive one, with serval businesses questioning the need for the change, in addition to airing an obvious upset with having to pay out more during a period of economic volatility.

A hike in charges for street cafe licences by Teignbridge District Council has upset many businesses in Newton Abbot. Tables outside Costa
A hike in charges for street cafe licences by Teignbridge District Council has upset many businesses in Newton Abbot. Tables outside Costa (Steve Pope/MDA)

‘What are they doing to our town... are they trying to kill off small businesses?’ the Country Table Café told the Mid-Devon Advertiser.

Brian Bailey of the Express Pasta Company said: ‘Where is the justification to suddenly go from £85 to £350?

‘It’s an added pressure at a time when there is a cost-of-living crisis, my ingredient costs have gone up, energy bills are only just starting to creep back down, so costs are already at an all time high for businesses and then this.’

Another affected business used fewer words to express their frustration: ‘It has really p***** me off.’

But it is not just the price hike that has been a cause for concern; the new license requires that furniture must not be a ‘permanent fixed structure’ and that it must be able to be ‘moved easily and stored away at night’ - though businesses can seek permission for non-removable furniture through the Highways Act 1980.

So businesses such as Twelve Twenty or the Clock Tower Café, which have the kind of heavy, permanent outside furniture not covered, will have to purchase a different license through the Highways Act 1980 or lose their outside seating.