Pubs and hotels allowed to turn car parks and grounds into beer gardens to boost economy as lockdown eases

PUBS and hotels will be allowed to turn car parks and grounds into beer gardens as the coronavirus lockdown eases.

New rules will allow pubs and hotels to transform their outside spaces to allow them to serve booze outside and to boost the economy.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

It's a welcome move for thirsty punters who are flocking to get their hands on beers after the lengthy lockdown.

The Government will publish the Business and Planning Bill this week which will give firms freedom to take extra measures to make ends meet over the summer months.

The plan is to get us all going al fresco over the Summer, which should also help kill the virus.

The bill includes seating guidance and will allow companies to close roads throughout the summer months to encourage pedestrians.

However, pubs have already warned that people must not just turn up without a booking - or will risk beingturned away.

Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive of Oakman Inns, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: "We will be taking bookings only in the early stages. 

"So we will have names through our normal booking system. However it would seem to me a sort of strange replacement for a trace and contact scenario, but if the Government would like us to do it, then we'll happily do it.

"We would perhaps develop as time goes by and allow people to turn unannounced, but then that they must realise that they may not get a table because you can't just have people stood in the bars, it will be table service only in those early weeks.

"We are very, very foreready for the first day, so we do need to warn people that if they've not got a table then they shouldn't come."

It comes after industry leaders revealed that ministers had expressed the desire to “turn over more of the public realm” to pop-up restaurants and bars to help stimulate the economy.

Boris Johnson is set to reveal more details on the plan tomorrow when he speaks in the House of Commons.

He will also announce he is cutting the 2m social distancing rule to one metre and that pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and hotels can open next month as planned from July 4.

The news came as:

• Boris Johnson is set to reveal more social interaction that will be allowed in the coming weeks - possibly with an update to "support bubbles"
• But people could have to choose between which set of grandparents to see if only one other household is allowed
• Ministers admitted they were considering whether to push back NEXT year's school exams by two months to catch up for lost time
• The UK's first wave of coronavirus could be over by July 13, experts said

The risks of meeting up with friends and family outdoors greatly reduce the chances of catching coronavirus, studies have shown.

The PM's spokeperson said earlier that ministers were working on “legislation to enable businesses to adjust to new ways of working and to help them capitalise on the summer months”.

“We will look to support businesses to implement safer ways of working, to manage the ongoing risks from coronavirus and in particular the need for social distancing.”

It's understood that the plans will automatically allow any venue with an alcohol licence to serve their drinks to take away.

Many pubs already are allowed to serve drinks outdoors, but many cafes and restaurants won't have permission to do so at the moment.

The government will also drop the 28-day consultation period for cafés, bars and restaurants setting up seating outside, The Times reported.

At the moment pints are allowed to be served to take away if pubs wish to do so, but drinkers can't stay on the premises.

Westminster council is preparing 50 projects to make space for alfresco dining by widening pavements and closing roads too.

The alfresco areas are expected to be set up in districts such as Covent Garden, Soho and Mayfair - where there are already large pedestrian only areas.

Social distancing rules mean that many restaurants and pubs will struggle to operate - as not enough people will be able to come into their venues when they do reopen.

Planning permission deadlines will also be extended to save hundreds of construction projects from delays, ministers are set to announce.

Projects that were put on pause while the nation went into lockdown are set to be allowed to continue, with no need to reapply for the permission, the Daily Mail reported.

Longer hours will also be allowed on work sites to help with social distancing and planning appeals could be sped up, the paper claimed.