Premises licence and club premises certificate

Apply for a premises licence or club premises certificate

You need a premises licence or club premises certificate to provide certain activities, such as selling alcohol, providing regulated entertainment or supplying late-night refreshments.

A premises licence or club premises certificate authorises you to offer certain ‘licensable activities’ from a particular venue. Licensable activities include:

• sale or supply of alcohol
• providing certain types of entertainment (e.g. theatrical performances, showing films, indoor sports, music and dancing)
• serving late-night food and drinks between 11pm and 5am

You will also need to apply for a premises licence for a one-off event if the capacity for the event exceeds 500 people and you intend to provide any of the above activities.

Exemptions

You do not need a licence to offer some types of entertainment, including:

• educational or promotional films
• films shown as part of an exhibition in a museum or gallery
• incidental music, such as film scores or soundtracks

Apply for a premises licence or club premises certificate

To apply for a premises licence or club premises certificate, you will need to supply the following information:

• a completed premises licence application form
• a detailed plan of the premises
• an operating schedule (e.g. details of when alcohol will be sold)

When applying for a premises licence you will also be required to submit:

• a consent form for a designated premises supervisor (DPS)

You will also need to provide proof of immigration status/entitlement to work if you are applying as an individual.

For more information, see the Home Office’s premises licence guidance.

You will be charged an application fee that is based on the rateable value of the property.

You must advertise in a local newspaper and display a notice on or at the premises printed on blue paper for a 28-day period after submitting it. The advert and notice should outline the licensing activities or qualifying club activities that will be conducted at the premises, as well as your name, the address or location of the premises, information about the licensing authority and the date by which any representations must be submitted. You can download a template premises licence application notice (docx).

Apply for a full variation of a premises licence or club premises certificate 

You can apply to vary an existing premises licence or club premises certificate if you want to:

• extend the premises/club opening hours
• make major changes to the premises or change the layout of a bar area
• add a new licensable activity to the licence/club premises certificate
• extend the licence period
• change the premises named in the licence
• specify an individual as the premises supervisor

You must advertise your application in a local newspaper at least once within 10 working days of submitting it. You must also display a public notice on the outside of the premises for 28 days. The notice must be printed on pale blue A4 paper. Headings must be in size 32 font, and the text size must be a minimum of size 16 font.

Full variation public notice template (doc)

If representations are made within the consultation period, your application will be decided by our licencing committee at a hearing. The hearing will take place within 20 days of the end of the consultation period.

If your application is refused, you can apply to a magistrates’ court within 21 days of the decision.

Apply for a minor variation of a premises licence or club premises certificate 

You can apply to vary an existing premises licence or club premises certificate if you want to:

• make minor changes to the structure or layout of the premises
• make small adjustments to the licensing hours (reduction of hours only - a proposed extension of hours would be a full variation)
• remove out-of-date, irrelevant or unenforceable conditions

You must display a public notice of your application at the premises for 10 working days after submitting your application. The notice must be printed on white A4 paper. Headings must be in size 32 font, and the text size must be a minimum of size 16 font.

Minor variation public notice template (doc)

We will give you a decision within 15 days after the 10-day consultation period expires.

Apply to transfer a licence

You can apply to transfer a premises licence to a new owner. You will need to submit a consent form with your application.

After we receive your transfer application, there will be a two-week period during which certain public bodies can make representations. If you have not heard from us after two weeks of submitting your application, this means your application has been granted.

Apply to vary a DPS

You can apply to nominate a new DPS on a premises licence. You will need to complete a consent form and provide details of the right to work in the UK with your application.

You can also apply to change the address or name of a DPS or request to be removed as a DPS.

Request to disapply a DPS

You can request to disapply the requirement for a DPS under the Licensing Act 2003 by transferring this responsibility to the management of a board or a committee of individuals.

You will be charged an application fee with your application. We aim to get back to you within 20 days of receiving your submission. If you have not heard from us within this timeframe, you can consider your request granted.

Notify an interest in a premises

If you are a business or individual with a property interest in a premises that holds a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003, you can apply to be notified of any changes to that licence.

The notice last for 12 months, so you will need to reapply each year if you wish to continue to be notified of changes.

You will need to pay the relevant fee when submitting your application.

Interim authority notice

You can submit an interim authority notice (IAN) if a premises licence lapses due to the death, incapacity or insolvency of the licence holder or if the holder’s entitlement to work in the UK ceases.

This notice reinstates the licence for a three-month period in these special circumstances, provided the IAN is submitted within 28 days of the licence lapsing. You can then apply to transfer the premises licence during the temporary period in which the IAN applies.

We will process your application within 10 working days of you submitting it. If you have not heard from us within this timeframe, you can assume the notice is valid.

Provisional statement

You can apply for a provisional statement to assess the likelihood of obtaining a full premises licence before committing to the cost of developing a site. You can apply for a provisional statement for a premises that you:

• expect to occupy
• expect to alter
• expect to acquire the right to occupy

You will need to pay the relevant fee with your application by calling customer services on 01923 776611.

You must publish a notice of your application in a local newspaper within 10 days of submitting it and display a copy of the application at the premises for 28 days. If representations are made within the consultation period, your notice will be decided by our licensing committee at a hearing. The hearing will take place within 20 days of the end of the consultation period.

If your application is rejected, you can apply to a magistrates’ court within 21 days of the decision.

If you have not heard from us by the end of the 28-day consultation period, you can act as though your application has been granted.

Change the name or address on a premises licence

A premises licence holder must notify the Licensing Authority as soon as is reasonably practicable of any change to their name or address.

Further details regarding the law around these changes can be found at Section 33 – Licensing Act 2003.

Costs

It costs £10.50 to change the licence holders’ details.

What you need to provide with your notification

The notification should include:

• The premises licence certificate
• the relevant fee

What happens once you submit a notification

There is no set application process as your notice will take effect immediately provided that all relevant documentation and the appropriate fee is attached.

Once we receive your notification, we will endeavour to process and update your certificate within 14 days.

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 us by the end of the 14 day period

How to make a notification

You can notify us online:

Change details or club rules for a club premises certificate

You will need to notify us if your club wants to:

• change the name of the club
• change the registered address of the club
• make alterations to the rules of the club

Further details regarding the law around these changes can be found at Section 82 & 83 – Licensing Act 2003.

Who can notify us of a change

The secretary of the club must give us notice of any change in the name, address, or alterations made to the rules of the club within 28 days.

Costs

It costs £10.50 to change a club premises certificate.

What you need to provide with your notification

The notification should include:

• details of the name change or change to club rules
• the club premises certificate or, if that is not practical, a statement of the reasons for the failure to produce the certificate
• the relevant fee

What happens once you submit a notification

There is no set application process as your notice will take effect immediately provided that all relevant documentation and the appropriate fee is attached.

Once we receive your notification, we will endeavour to process and update your certificate within 14 days.

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 us by the end of the 14 day period

How to make a notification

You can notify us online: