Club premises certificate

You need a club premises certificate if you are a social, sporting or political members club, for example working men's club or British Legion and want to:

Sell or supply alcohol to members or guests
Provide regulated entertainment, for example music, singing or dancing

What clubs can apply?

Any of the following may apply for a club premises certificate:

The club has premises that are occupied and used regularly for club purposes
alcohol and entertainment is only provided to members and their guests
only someone 18 or older who is nominated by the club can serve alcohol or buy it for the club
there is no arrangement for anyone to benefit financially from buying or selling alcohol
new members wait two days from their application before getting membership privileges
it is established and conducted in good faith
it has at least 25 members

How much is it?

Please visit the alcohol and entertainment licence fees page for a full list of fees and charges.

Alcohol and entertainment licence fees

How to apply

To apply for a club premises certificate complete the following online form:

GOV.UK - apply for a club premises certificate

Alternatively you can download and complete the club premises certificate form (PDF, 361 KB) and return to us:

Licensing office
Preston City Council
Town Hall
Lancaster Road
PR1 2RL

What do I need to include?

You will need to include a copy of the premises plan and a copy of the club rules.

What happens next?

A copy of your application must also be sent to the 9 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.

An example layout of the club premises certificate advert (PDF, 12 KB), can be viewed here.

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:

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 certificate 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 certificate will be granted the day after the end of the consultation period. You will receive your certificate 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 certificate 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.