Applying for a Licence
Making an Application
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have recently announced that they will allow electronic licence application. This new process will simplify and reduce the cost burdens of applying for a licence.
For Guidance on how to apply for a licence online please go to:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/onlineapplication_guidanceforapplicants_dec09.pdf
The Premises Licence represents the agreement of the Local Authority to allow the conduct of licensable activities on your premises.
In your application you will set out how the premises will be run, this is called the Operating Schedule. Your operating schedule will be considered by the local authority in consultation with interested parties in the local area including, police, fire, environmental health, voluntary organisations, local politicians and local people. If no objections are raised your licence is granted, if there are objections then the local authority will hold a hearing to determine the licence.
All applications will be made to the licensing department of the local authority. The licensing authority is the Council to which you pay your Business Rates.
Your Council will have a team or individual responsible for licensing who will be able to help you with any questions you have when putting together your application. Contact your Council to find out more about who will deal with your application. You must also be prepared that some questions will not be answered and you may be advised to seek independent legal advice.
Find your local authority here.
You must decide who you want to hold the premises licence, it does not have to be an individual, it can be a business or it can be more than one person.
Applications will include the following:
- Licence Fee;
- Operating Schedule;
- Plan of the Premises;
- Letter of consent from the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS);
- Fire Risk Assessment (may be required by some local Fire department).
You can find the licence fee levels here.
Operating Schedule
Your operating schedule sets out information such as your licensing hours, and who will be responsible for alcohol sales.
All operating schedules will have to include the following information, however some authorities may have additional requirements.
|
Information Required |
What You Write |
|
The type of business you run |
Own or manage a convenience store, newsagent, village shop or off licence |
|
The licensable activities to be conducted on the premises |
The sale of alcohol by retail and also possible provision of late night refreshment |
| The licensing hours | Unless you have some specific reason not to you should apply for a license that permits the sale of alcohol during the hours that your store is open |
| The name and address of the DPS | As appropriate |
| Type of alcohol licence | The sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises |
| The steps which the applicant proposes to take to promote the licensing objectives | There are a number of concerns that the Local Authority and consultees will be looking for including: • A strong No Proof No Sale policy; • Use of point of sale on ID checks; • Evidence of training of staff; • Number of staff employed in the store that hold a personal licence; • Security measures in your store. |
Plan of Premises
You will need to provide a plan of the layout of your store. It is important to consider that the local authority, Police, Fire Authority and others will be looking at key things on the plan including: the size and location of the selling spaces dedicated to alcohol and the security measures in place.
Fire Risk Assessment
One of the bodies to be consulted on your application is the Fire Authority. They will have a policy set locally on what they will be looking for from applicants. In many cases the Fire Authority will be asking that the applicant can prove that the premises has undergone a fire assessment as they are legally required to do under the Fire Safety Act – You may need to provide evidence of that assessment with you application.