Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates
Most premises that wish to carry out licensable activities will
need a Premises Licence or Club Premises Certificate. Licensable
activities are:
- Sale of Alcohol
- Supply of Alcohol by or on behalf of a Club
- Provision of Regulated Entertainment
- Provision of Late Night Refreshment (hot food/drink between
11pm and 5am)
A Premises Licence/Club Premises Certificate can be granted
either for a fixed term e.g. for a one-off event with an attendance
of over 500, or indefinitely e.g. for pubs, clubs, off-licences
etc.
If one of the activities you carry out at your premises is the
sale of alcohol, you will also need at least one Personal Licence
holder; one of whom must be named on the premises licence as
the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS). It is expected that the
DPS will be the person in day-to-day control of the premises and
that they will be the point of contact for the Licensing Authority,
Police and Fire services. This person, however, does not
necessarily have to be the premises licence holder.
When applying for a Premises Licence or Club Premises
Certificate, applicants will have to complete the relevant
application form and also submit:
- A plan of the premises
- The correct fee (dependent on the non domestic rateable value
of the premises)
- Form of consent from the Designated Premises Supervisor, if the
application involves the sale of alcohol (Premises Licence
applications only)
- A copy of the club rules (Club Premises Certificate
applications only)
You must also ensure the following:
- Copies of the application, including the plan, must be sent to
all responsible authorities
- The application must be advertised on the premises and in a
local newspaper
Following the acceptance of your application and a subsequent
28-day consultation period, the Licensing Authority has delegated
powers to grant your licence as long as no objections (relevant
representations) have been received. The licence will have
conditions imposed upon it in line with your proposed operating
schedule that promote the four licensing objectives.
If relevant representations are made, a Committee will be held
and the committee members will consider the application. This may
not be necessary if mediation takes place between the applicant and
the objector and an agreement is reached before the committee is
held.
A Premises Licence/Club Premises Certificate is valid
indefinitely, i.e. until it is revoked, suspended or
surrendered.
There are a number of exemptions from the requirement to have a
Premises Licence. These include:
- Religious services and places of worship
- Film exhibitions for the purposes of advertising or
education
- Films in museums
- Garden fetes
- Vehicles in motion
- Live TV and radio broadcasts
- Music incidental to other activities