Apply for a premises licence
Activities that need to be licenced include:
- the sale by retail of alcohol
- the supply of alcohol by or on behalf of a club to, or to the order of, a member of the club,
- the provision of regulated entertainment, and
- the provision of late-night refreshment
Regulated entertainment under the Licensing Act 2003 includes:
- performances of plays
- film screenings
- indoor sports events
- boxing or wrestling shows
- live music performances
- playing recorded music
- dance performances
- entertainment similar to live music, recorded music, or dance performances
The policy gives information and guidance to those applying for a license, current license holders, and responsible authorities. It explains how we review applications and the standards we expect.
How to apply
- you must be 18 years of age or older
- submit an application form, fee and a scaled plan of the premises
To do this, you need to:
- Display a public notice at the premises for 28 consecutive days from the day after the application is accepted.
- Place an advert in a local newspaper within 10 working days from the day after the application is accepted.
If applying for alcohol, a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is required. This has to be a person who holds a personal licence.
If you manage or are part of a community, church, or village hall that wants to sell alcohol or already does, you can apply to make a management committee responsible for alcohol sales instead of having a DPS. You can also apply to replace an existing DPS with the management committee.
Cost
A fee will be required. This will be based on the non-domestic rateable value of your premises. You can find this from the Valuation office if you are unsure of what it is.
Start the journey
More info about the journey
- a credit/debit card
- submit an application form. Serve on the Responsible Authorities (if served by email or post)
- submit a 'to the scale' plan of the premises
- display a Public Notice outside the premises for 28 consecutive days (from the day after the application is accepted submitted). This will need to be on pale blue paper with a copy being sent to the licensing authority.
- place advert in local paper within ten working days of submission of from the day after the application is accepted. Send a copy of the page of the newspaper showing it has been advertised to the licensing authority.
After we get your application, payment, and plan, we’ll check if everything is correct. If we need more information, we’ll contact you.
Public notice
Place a public notice at your premises the day after we confirm we received and accepted your application. This needs to be on display for 28 consecutive days so the public can comment.
Advert
Place an advert in a local newspaper or parish magazine within 10 working days of your application being accepted.
No Objections
If there are no public objections after the 28 consecutive days, we will send you the premises license, this may be by email or post or can be collected with an appointment
If there are Objections
If there are objections that can’t be resolved, your application will be determined by the Licensing and Regulatory subcommittee within 20 working days after the objection period ends.
You’ll get at least 10 working days' notice before the subcommittee meeting.
We’ll send you their decision in writing.