Apply for a premises licence

You need a premises licence if you want to provide any of the following licensable activities on a premises:

• sale of alcohol (for example - pubs, bars, night clubs, shops)
• regulated entertainment (for example - music, singing or dancing)
• hot food or drink (between 11pm and 5am)

Please note: Premises includes a vehicle, vessel or moveable structure. Please visit the full list of licensable activities and exemptions for more information. 

Please note: It is an offence to buy alcohol for onward sale or supply from an unapproved UK wholesaler.

GOV.UK - Check if your UK wholesaler is approved

You will need your wholesalers unique reference number, which should be displayed on their invoice.

Who can apply?

• anyone who carries on a business in the premises
• recognised club
• charity
• health service body
• person who is registered under the Care Standards Act 2000 in relation to an independent hospital
• chief police officer of a force in England and Wales
• anyone discharging a statutory or function under Her Majesty's prerogative
• person from an educational institute
• any other permitted person

Please note: applicants must not be under 18 years of age.

How much is a premises licence?

Alcohol and entertainment licence fees

How to apply for a premises licence?

You can apply for a premises licence by visiting:

GOV.UK - premises licence application form

Please note: If your application includes the sale of alcohol, a consent form for the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) (PDF) [8KB] must be completed and specified on the premises licence.

This individual must hold a valid personal licence - alcohol and entertainment.

What do I need to include?

You need to include a copy of the following:

• Premises plan, see below
• Consent form completed by the DPS (needed for application's that include the sale of alcohol)
• Application's submitted by individuals will be required to submit a copy of their passport

Premises Plans

All applications for a Premises Licence or Club Premises Certificate must be accompanied by a plan of the premises. This plan should be in standard scale and should show:

• The external boundary of the premises and any internal or external walls additional to the boundary walls.
• The location or all entrances / exits, and any additional escape routes from the premises.
• In a case where the premises is to be used for more than one licensable activity, the area within the premises used for each activity.
• All fixed structures and furniture, even if only temporarily fixed.
• The location of any stage/s, and the height of the stage from the floor.
• The location of any steps, stairs and / or elevators.
• The location of any public conveniences.
• The location and type of any fire safety and any other safety equipment (including, if applicable, marine safety equipment).
• The location of the kitchen, if any.

The items above may be marked using symbols if a key is included on the plan.

The Annual fee

To keep your licence valid, you will need to pay an annual fee.  

Alcohol and entertainment licence fees

Please note: A reminder letter will be sent out to you one month before the due date detailing how to make payment.

How to pay

Pay your premises licence annual fee

What happens next?

A copy of your application must also be sent to the 8 responsible authorities. We will do this on your behalf if the application is submitted electronically. If you have submitted a postal application, you will need to send a copy to those responsible authorities yourself.

You must also advertise your application in a noticeable location at the premises within a day and the local newspaper within 10 working days.

For an example layout, please download the Premises licence application notice example (PDF) [94KB] .

Consultation period

There will be a consultation period of 28 days starting the day after we have received your application.

This time allows objections to be made from the following responsible authorities, a list of the details of the responsible authorities can be found at the bottom of this page:

• Police
• Fire and Rescue Service
• Environmental Health
• Planning
• Child Protection
• Trading Standards
• LCC Public Health Licensing
• Home Office (Immigration Enforcement)

Objection criteria

Objections must be based on the licence not promoting one or more of the following licensing objectives:

• prevention of crime and disorder
• public safety
• prevention of public nuisance
• protection of children from harm

If no objections are received during this time, your licence will be granted the day after the end of the consultation period. You will receive your licence within 10 working days.

Hearings

If objections are made against the application, a hearing will be held within 20 working days from the end of the consultation period. The decision to grant or refuse the application will be decided by the Licensing Sub Committee.

If a hearing is held the licence can be:

• Granted
• Granted subject to additional conditions
• Refused

A decision is usually made at the end of hearing. We will inform you once a decision has been made, along with the person who made the objection and the chief of police.

Appeals

Anyone can appeal an application if it is refused.

Appeals must be made to a Magistrates court within 21 days of the decision being made.

Vary or transfer a licence

To change the activities on an existing licence please visit vary a premises licence or club premises certificate.

If you wish to take over a premises licence, you must make an application to transfer a premises licence.