Premises License Application Service

The premises license application is made to the licensing authority in which the premises is situated. The application will consist of the following:

Application form
Signed consent form for the designated premises supervisor (This is if the application includes the sale of alcohol)
Plan of the premises which has to be done in a specific format.
Application fee.

The four licensing objectives

The main purpose of the licensing process is to promote the 4 licensing objectives and applications will include an ‘operating schedule’. The four licensing objectives are:

Public safety
Prevention of crime and disorder
Prevention of public nuisance
Protection of children from harm

Operating Schedule

An operating schedule will include details of:

the licensable activities the premises licence is to cover
the times the activities will take place
the times when the premises will be open to the public
Who is the designated premises supervisor?
whether any alcohol that is to be sold, is for consumption on or of the premises or both
the steps proposed to be taken to promote the 4 licensing objectives

How much does a premises licence application cost?

The premises licence application fee is based on the non-domestic rateable value of your premises, whether the premises are used ‘exclusively or primarily for the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises’ and whether you host any events with more than 5,000 attendees at time.

Advertising your premises licence application

As part of the premises licence application, you must

display a notice of the application at the premises for 28 days starting from the day after the application was submitted
publish a notice of the application in a locally circulated newspaper within 10 working days starting from the day after the application was submitted.

How must the notice be displayed?

There are strict instructions about how the notice must displayed. The notice must be:

on pale blue paper
A4 size or larger
large font (font size 16 or larger)

So what happens after the premises licence application has been submitted?

Once your application has been submitted there is a 28 day consultation / representation period. If after the 28 days there have not been any relevant representations from any of the responsible authorities or any relevant persons, the licence will be granted. If there have been representations and the local authority considers them to be relevant, they will arrange a licensing hearing. At the hearing the application will either be:

granted
granted with extra conditions, or
rejected and refused

So what do we do?

The service that we provide is for premises which are based in England & Wales.

We would conduct a thorough risk assessment, liaising with the applicant and the responsible authorities throughout. We would prepare, complete and submit a suitable, valuable and flexible operating schedule, submit all forms of application to the relevant authorities and liaise with any potential ‘objectors’ on your behalf throughout the 28 day ‘consultation’ period before the licence is granted. We would also prepare the notices for display on the premises licence application and in the local newspaper.

What does this cover?

A thorough Risk Assessment conducted by an experienced consultant
Liaison with both the applicant and any of the responsible authorities
The preparation, completion & submission of all forms of the premises license application, which includes the Operating Schedule
The preparation and the posting of notices for the premises and in the local press
Negotiation and communication with concerned parties throughout the consultation period

What's not included:

The Licensing Authority fee
The Newspaper notice advertisement fee
Premises Plan

Unfortunately there can never be a guarantee that a premises licence will be granted, but the Licensing Act 2003 is underpinned by a presumption of ‘grant’ of licences. However effective negotiation coupled with a strong application are still required to avoid attracting objections.

What are the application process stages?

Typically, there are 5 stages to undertake:

1. Initial consultation

This is where we discuss who will be the premises license holder, who the proposed DPS will be, opening hours, which licensable activities are required, operating schedule basics, on and off sales (of both), and how the premises will adhere to the four licensing objectives.

2. 1st Draft of application

Licensing professionals will complete an initial draft of the application once research into the local licensing policy and any additional policies such as ‘saturation policies’ and/or ‘cumulative impact policies’ which may be present in the area have been undertaken. There may be a need to consult with you further should any complication or conflict arise between your proposed activities and the Local licensing authority's licensing policy.

3. Submission

Once we have completed the application and we have consulted with you to ensure that you are entirely happy with the application, we will submit to the local licensing authority. This is where the start of the 28 days statutory consultation period begins. During this time we will continuously monitor the application, liaise with any responsible authorities or members of the public making representations, and keep you informed of any developments.

4. Advertising

Once the application has been submitted and the council fees paid, a public notice is required to appear in a local newspaper within the first 10 days of the application being received. As well as the newspaper advert, site notices to the same effect being clearly placed on the premises at point of application and for the entire 28 day consultation period. We will prepare these notices and arrange for publication as well as giving instructions over how these notices must be displayed.

5. Statutory 28 day consultation period

Should no relevant objections either received or remaining by the end of the 28 day period then the licence will be deemed granted.