Plymouth City Centre Company has admitted that lockdown rules for businesses could have been made clearer after one city cafe remained open after November 5.

The organisation, which oversees the city centre’s Business Improvement District (BID), has written to hundreds of businesses to remind them about trading rules during the second lockdown and that food and non-alcoholic drinks must only be provided as a takeaway.

It has sought to clarify the position after being approached by businesses asking for guidance and even admitted that “initial overarching guidance, published in the first week of November, was “perhaps not so clear”.

It comes after the Finla Coffee establishment, in Plympton, was fined £3,000 after Plymouth City Council said it breached rules by allowing customers to sit inside and outside its premises. The cafe’s owners have said they only wanted to provide a “hub” for the vulnerable and lonely.

Finla Coffee in Plympton, Plymouth

Plymouth City Centre Company has now reminded hundreds of members about the exact rules after the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 came into force on November 5.

Its email to members said: “We know that some businesses have been in touch with Plymouth City Council's public protection service asking for clarification on matters such as outside seating and what businesses can and can’t do as part of the second lockdown.

“Hospitality premises such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs that serve food for consumption on their premises including external seating areas must stop this service and provide takeaway only.

“This is set out very clearly in the legislation behind both lockdowns, although is perhaps not so clear in the initial overarching guidance that was published last week.”

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The City Centre Company has now clearly set out what businesses should do, as follows:

Between 5am and 10pm:

Food and non-alcoholic drinks can be provided as takeaway only. This means that customers can enter the premises to place and collect their order to takeaway only.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks can also be sold for delivery where these are pre-ordered online, by telephone or by post, and via click-and-collect; and drive-through.

Between 10pm and 5am:

Food and drinks can be sold for delivery where these are pre-ordered online, by telephone or by post, and via click-and-collect; and drive-through only.

Click-and-collect and delivery services can only operate where goods are pre-ordered by phone, online, via a mobile app or by post and collected without customers entering the premises.

A late-night refreshment premises licence is required for sale of hot food and drinks after 11pm.

Alcoholic drinks at anytime:

Alcohol can be provided as takeaway only, for consumption off the premises for delivery, click-and-collect and drive-through.

This means it must be pre-ordered - by phone, online, via a mobile app or by post - and must be collected without customers entering the premises.

A premises licence is required for sale of alcohol.

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General requirements:

Hospitality venues providing food and drink for consumption off the premises are not permitted to allow customers to consume food or drink in a beer garden or similar seating or from any adjacent seating to the premises, e. seating which they are responsible for or have control over.

Room service in hotels and other guest accommodation continues to be permitted as long as it is ordered by phone or online.

Food and drink provided for takeaway purposes should be provided in enclosed containers.

Planning regulation has been changed to enable restaurants, cafes and pubs which have not previously offered delivery and hot food takeaway to be able to do so.

More about the current restrictions is on the Gov.uk website and for more details of the Covid-19 support available to businesses visit the Invest Plymouth website.