Trade associations urge clarity on smoke regulations

Trade associations have welcomed the guidelines for the forthcoming smoking ban, although they have raised some concerns.

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is still worried that the detail on the guidelines should not be unduly complex and is calling for a start date for the ban.

While Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) has sounded a note of caution about the timescales involved in preparing venues for the ban. The organisation is urging the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to provide guidance for local planning authorities to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in the granting of planning permission for outside areas.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) is also calling for clarification on outside areas.

Rob Hayward, chief executive of the BBPA, said: "It is vital that businesses have plenty time to plan and prepare for this considerable cultural change. In terms of the regulatory detail, we will be focused on ensuring they are easy to understand, simple to apply and do not impose unnecessary complexity or cost on business."

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of BISL, said: "The consultation period for these regulations only ends in October which could mean as little as six months after the final version is published before the ban comes into effect.

"It is imperative that DCLG publish guidance urgently to assist local authority planning officers in processing the relevant planning applications as quickly as possible."

Nick Bish, chief executive of ALMR, is calling for clarification for planning officers. He said: "It would be crazy, for example, if a parasol in a courtyard was to be defined as a roof, but that's how it looks at the moment."