To carry out licensable activities from your premises you will need to apply for a premises licence.
What activities need a licence
Licensable activities are:
- the retail sale of alcohol
- the provision of regulated entertainment
- the provision of late night refreshment (hot food and drinks between 11pm to 5am)
When you apply, you must specify which activities you want to hold at your premises and the days and times they will take place.
If you want to apply for a club premises certificate for a voluntary or social club you can do so on our dedicated page.
Who can apply for a premises licence
Any person (aged 18 or over) with a business which involves licensable activities needs to apply for a premises licence. You can apply for a permanent or time limited licence.
An applicant can be:
- an individual
- a business
- a partnership
- a charity
- a hospital
- a school
What counts as a premises
Premises can be any place, indoors our outside, including:
- a building
- a moveable structure
- an open space
- a vehicle or vessel
If the premises have not yet been constructed or are due to undergo major refurbishment then an application for a provisional statement is required.
How long a premises licence lasts
Permanent premises licences remain in force until they are surrendered by the holder or revoked following a review of the licence.
Time limited licences will lapse at the end of the specified period, after which you will need to either renew it or apply for a new licence.
A premises licence can also lapse if the holder of the licence:
- dies
- becomes mentally incapable
- becomes insolvent or until the business dissolves
You must contact us immediately if any of these situations occur. We will advise you how to apply for an interim authority notice.
Costs
To apply for a premises licence you will need to pay an application fee. You may also need to pay an additional person capacity fee for large venues with a capacity of over 5,000 people.
If you currently hold a licence you will need to pay an annual fee to keep your licence.
Application fee
The application fee is a one-off payment you need to make with your application. It will be determined by the rateable value band your property is in. These fees are:
| Rateable value band | Application fee |
|---|---|
| A | £100 |
| B | £190 |
| C | £315 |
| D | £450 |
| E | £635 |
Application fee for selling alcohol
Where the premises fall within Band D or E and are used exclusively or primarily for the selling of alcohol you must pay a higher fee.
| Rateable value band | Application fee |
|---|---|
| D x 2 | £900 |
| E x 2 | £1,905 |
The value of your property will tell you what band you are in and how much your application fee will be. If the premises are in the course of construction, they will fall into Band C. If your club premises have no rateable value then you will fall into band A.
The fee bands are:
| Rateable value | Band |
|---|---|
| No rateable value to £4,300 | A |
| £4,301 to £33,000 | B |
| £33,001 to £87,000 | C |
| £87,001 to £125,000 | D |
| £125,001 and above | E |
Additional person capacity fee
If your premises can hold more than 5,000 people you will be required to pay an additional fee:
| Premises capacity | Additional fee |
|---|---|
| 5,000 to 9,999 | £1,000 |
| 10,000 to 14,999 | £2,000 |
| 15,000 to 19,999 | £4,000 |
| 20,000 to 29,999 | £8,000 |
| 30,000 to 39,999 | £16,000 |
| 40,000 to 49,999 | £24,000 |
| 50,000 to 59,999 | £32,000 |
| 60,000 to 69,999 | £40,000 |
| 70,000 to 79,999 | £48,000 |
| 80,000 to 89,999 | £56,000 |
| 90,000 and over | £64,000 |
Annual premises licence fees
An annual fee is payable to us each year on the anniversary of the date the licence was first granted.
Pay your annual fees
Exemption from fees
No application fee or annual fee is required if a premises provides regulated entertainment only and on behalf of:
- an Educational Institution (a school or college) for and on behalf of the purposes of the educational institution or
- a church hall, chapel hall or other similar building or a village hall, parish hall or community hall or other similar building
How we decide to grant your licence
The law provides a clear focus on promoting the four statutory licensing objectives. These are:
- the prevention of crime and disorder
- public safety
- the prevention of public nuisance
- the protection of children from harm
Your application must show us and the other responsible authorities how you will meet these objectives.
Premises licences that authorise the sale of alcohol must specify a personal licence holder as the designated premises supervisor (DPS).
The DPS is the person named on the premises licence who is responsible for authorising the sale or supply of alcohol at the premises and will normally be the person responsible for the day to day running of the premises.
Community premises may apply to operate without a DPS.
What you need to provide with your application
We recommend that you read the government's premises licence guidance before applying.
We also advise you to find legal advice prior to applying for a licence to ensure you are fully aware of the correct procedure.
You will be required to submit the following:
1. A completed application form (and privacy statement if applying by post)
This is a prescribed form which details how you want to operate your premises. It will show:
- the licensable activities to be carried out
- the proposed hours that the relevant licensable activities are to take place
- the name and address of the Designated Premises Supervisor if the licensable activities include the retail sale of alcohol
- where alcohol is to be supplied, whether supplies are for consumption on and/or off the premises
- a statement of the steps the applicant proposes to take to promote the licensing objectives
- if the licence is for a limited period, how long that period is
- any other required information
2. A plan of the premises
Applications should be submitted with a plan of the premises which must be in a specific format.
3. Consent of the designated premises supervisor
If you are proposing to sell alcohol from the premises a form of consent must be signed by the designated premises supervisor for the premises and submitted with the application. A designated premises supervisor must be a personal licence holder.
4. Right to work documentation
If the applicant you are an individual, you need proof you have the right to work in this country. This must be supplied with the application or the 9-digit ‘share code’ for the Home Office online right to work checking service.
5. Confirmation of advertisement of your application
You are required to advertise your application in two ways:
- in a local newspaper
- display a notice on the premises
You should submit confirmation of the newspaper submission with your application and a copy of the newspaper notice as soon as possible.
6. Confirmation that you have served your application to the responsible authorities
If you are applying online this will be done automatically.
If you have not applied online, you must provide a copy of the full application and documents to all responsible authorities.
What happens once you have made an application
On the day after an application is received, a 28 day consultation period begins allowing comments or 'representations' to be made about the application by the responsible authorities and any local residents or ‘interested parties’. During this time, the responsible authorities will work with you to ensure your proposals are in line with the four licensing objectives.
If no comments are received during this period, the application will be deemed granted after the last date for representations and your licence will be issued and sent to you.
If relevant representations are received within the 28 day consultation period a public hearing must be held to determine your application. You will be notified in writing telling you when the hearing will be, who has made a representation and what that representation is.
The public hearing will be held within 20 working days after the last date for representation. The hearing date may be extended if we consider it is in the public interest to do so.
When you make an application, the details of the application will be published on our website and the information on any licence granted will be included in a public register.
Tacit consent will apply
This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from within 20 working days after the last date of representations.
Apply online for a new premises licence or change details of your current licence
You can apply online for a new licence or to change the name or address on your current licence.
Before you send your application by post, you should pay any required fees online first and provide a reference of payment with your submitted application.
Pay for a post application online
You can then download and print all relevant forms and send them to us and all other responsible authorities by post.
How to make an appeal or a complaint
If you want to appeal our decision you should contact us.
Any applicant, responsible authority or person making representation is able to appeal our decision to a Magistrate’s Court within 21 days of the notice of decision.
Members of the public who are experiencing problems with licensed premises should contact us for advice.
