To offer licensable activities to the public, including the sale or supply of alcohol, you need a premises licence.
If you have a premises licence to sell alcohol, at least one person in the business will also need to hold a personal licence. This will be the person named in the premises licence as the designated premises supervisor (DPS). People who could hold a personal licence include bar staff or event managers.
If you’re over the age of 18, you can apply for a personal licence. You’re likely to be accepted for a personal licence, providing:
- You haven’t forfeited a personal licence in the last five years
- You have an accredited licensing qualification
- You haven’t been convicted of any relevant or foreign offence.
The application process will depend on what license or change you're applying for, but in general:
- You may need to successfully complete a training course before you can apply for a license
- You may need request a criminal records check
- Complete and send off your application
- There may be a waiting period while the licensing authority checks your information and collects any objections
- You may need to advertise your application so people can register any objections
- If you meet the criteria, your information is correct, and there are no objections, you receive your application.
This just a general guide and the exact process for your application may be different. We'll advise on how your application will progress once we've heard more details during a consultation.
How long will my application take?
The amount of time licence applications take depends on:
- What you're applying for
- How quickly you provide the required information and documentation
- How quickly the licensing authority processes the application
- Whether there are any objections.
Applications for new alcohol licenses typically take between two and five months. Applications for betting/gaming licenses typically take between four and five months. The time taken to resolve taxi licensing and shotgun licensing matters also varies. Our solicitors can advise on an estimated resolution time for your matter once we've heard more details during a consultation.
Some of our lawyers have been working in the licensing sector for more than 30 years. We are highly experienced in providing a comprehensive service in the legal areas of alcohol licensing. We have worked with various licensing authorities over the years and the benefit of our experience means we can anticipate the likely approach of these authorities. This means we can anticipate any potential issues and deal with them, as far as possible, before they arise, so that we can achieve the best possible outcome for you.
Examples of our current and previous work include:
- Obtaining a new premises licence for a client who operates in a cumulative impact zone.
- Obtaining a premises licence for a pop-up bar on Worthing seafront.
- Acting for a hotel group in securing a variation to a premises licence in altering the capacity and operating hours of a rooftop terrace area.
- Acting for a West London bar subject to a licence review following a murder on its premises. We negotiated minor changes to the licence conditions and ensured the licence wasn’t revoked or suspended.
- Acting for companies and individuals accused of underage alcohol sales by putting forward due diligence defences.
- Acting for an operator of a convenience store who faced 23 charges under the Licensing Act 2003. The shopkeeper was acquitted of all charges.
We’re able to help you with all areas of alcohol licensing, including:
- Licensing applications for new premises
- Varying existing premises licences
- Pavement licence applications
- Applications for one-off events
- Defending closure orders
- Advising on regulatory requirements
- Working on licence reviews
- Licensing breaches, revocations and appeals.
Contact us today for a free consultation on how we can help you.
