Licensing Law - Premises Licence

 

A premises licence authorises a premises to carry out licensable activities for an initial fee and annual fee thereafter.

So what is a premises licence?

This can be defined as:

‘any building, part of a building or open space’ and ‘moveable structures such as a beer tent, parked vehicle such as a burger van or vessels such as a boat’

Applications for a premises licence can be paid by an individual or on behalf of a business.
Should you hold a premises licence then the sale of alcohol can only be made under the following two conditions:

• No supply of alcohol can be made unless there is a designated premises supervisor in place, this person should also hold a personal licence
• Every supply of alcohol under the premises licence must be made (or authorised) by a personal licence holder.  This does not mean that the personal licence holder has to personally authorise EVERY sale but more that the licence holder is aware of who is carrying our sales and to whom.

Failure to comply with these conditions could result in a fine of up to £20,000 and/or 6 months in prison.

To apply for a premises licence it is important that all of the relevant information is provided to the authority within which the premises is located, this includes:

• Operating Schedule (we will cover this in more detail later on)
• A plan of the premises (in an appropriate format)
• Details of the premises supervisor
• Any fee attached

A number of authorities must also be notified, these are:

• Police
• Fire authority
• Health and Safety Authority
• Local planning authority
• Environmental health authority
• Child protection authority
• Weights and measures authority

Once granted a premises licence is valid for the duration of the business unless for some reason it is revoked.

 

Also should you wish to vary the premises licence in anyway then you must also make an application stating what changes you would like to make.  A licence can come under review through a number of circumstances and it is important that you fully adopt the four licensing objects to prevent this from happening.

Operating Schedule

This should be submitted alongside the premises licence application and should include the following information:

• Description of the premises
• What activities will take place at the premises
• Information on the facilities
• Details of premises licence supervisor
• Operating Times
• What steps will be taken to promote the four licensing objectives

If you are unsure of how to complete the application then you can seek advice from the local licensing authority.

Should you include details of a CCTV system in place or that you intend to implement then this might be become a condition of the premises licence which if not complied with become in breach of the licence.

Finished? Try some sample test questions here. (Answers can be found in the download section)

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