Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that changes proposed in the Business and Planning Bill for more on-street (a) serving and (b) dining do not affect the ability of visually impaired people to navigate their communities safely.

All pavement licences will either have an express or - in default - deemed “no-obstruction condition”. This is a condition that anything done by the licence-holder must not, amongst other things, prevent non-vehicular traffic passing along the relevant highway. This would include disabled people. The Secretary of State has published a national condition in the draft pavement licences guidance, under his powers included in the legislation, requiring that clear routes of access are maintained, taking into account the needs of disabled people and recommended minimum footway widths and distances required for access by mobility impaired and visually impaired people as set out in Section 3.1 of the Government’s Inclusive Mobility guidance.