Premises licence application guidance notes

Premises

Describe the premises (i.e. the type of premises, its general situation and layout and any other information which could be relevant to the licensing objectives).

If your application includes off-supplies of alcohol and somewhere for their consumption, you must include a description of where the place will be and its proximity to the premises.

Entertainment

For specific regulated entertainments:

Plays: no licence is needed for performances between 8am and 11pm, on any day, if the audience isn't over 500.

Films: no licence is needed for ‘not-for-profit’ film exhibitions held in community premises between 8am and 11pm, on any day, if the audience isn't over 500 and the organiser gets consent to the screening from a person who is responsible for the premises and ensures that each such screening abides by age classification ratings

Indoor sporting events: no licence is needed for performances between 8am and 11pm, on any day, if the audience isn't over 1,000.

Combined fighting sports: (defined as 'a contest, exhibition or display which combines boxing or wrestling with one or more martial arts') are licensable as a boxing or wrestling entertainment, rather than an indoor sporting event

Boxing or wrestling entertainment: no licence is needed for a contest, exhibition or display of Greco-Roman wrestling, or freestyle wrestling, between 8am and 11pm, on any day, if the audience isn't over 1,000

Live music: no licence is needed for:

a performance of unamplified live music between 8am and 11pm on any day, on any premises
a performance of amplified live music between 8am and 11pm on any day on premises authorised to sell alcohol for consumption on those premises, if the audience isn't over 500
a performance of amplified live music between 8am and 11pm on any day, in a workplace that is not licensed to sell alcohol on those premises, if the audience isn't over 500
a performance of amplified live music between 8am and 11pm on any day, in a church hall, village hall, community hall, or other similar community premises, that is not licensed by a premises licence to sell alcohol, if the audience isn't over 500 and the organiser gets consent for the performance from a person who is responsible for the premises
a performance of amplified live music between 8am and 11pm on any day, at the non-residential premises of:

a local authority
a school
a hospital

if the audience isn't over 500 and the organiser gets consent for the performance on the relevant premises (i.e from the local authority, the school or the health care provider for the hospital)

Recorded music: no licence permission is required for:

any playing of recorded music between 8am and 11pm on any day on premises authorised to sell alcohol for consumption on those premises, if the audience isn't over 500
any playing of recorded music between 8am and 11pm on any day, in a church hall, village hall, community hall, or other similar community premises, that is not licensed by a premises licence to sell alcohol, if the audience isn't over 500 and the organiser gets consent for the performance from a person who is responsible for the premises
any playing of recorded music between 8am and 11pm on any day, at the non-residential premises of

a local authority
a school
a hospital

if the audience isn't over 500 and the organiser gets consent for the performance on the relevant premises (i.e from the local authority, the school or the health care provider for the hospital)

Dance: no licence is required for performances between 8am and 11pm on any day, if the audience isn't over 500. A performance which amounts to adult entertainment is licensable.

Cross activity exemptions: no licence is required between 8am and 11pm on any day, with no limit on audience size for:

any entertainment taking place on the premises of the local authority where the entertainment is provided by, or on behalf, of the local authority
any entertainment taking place on the hospital premises of the health care provider where the entertainment is provided by, or on behalf, of the health care provider
any entertainment taking place on the premises of the school where the entertainment is provided by, or on behalf, of the school proprietor
any entertainment (excluding films and a boxing or wrestling entertainment) taking place at a travelling circus, provided that it takes place within a moveable structure that accommodates the audience and that the travelling circus has not been located on the same site for more than 28 consecutive days.

Buildings and structures

Where taking place in a building or other structure (including tents), please tick as appropriate.

Types of activities

Include the type of activity to be authorised, if not already stated, and give relevant further details.

You should include things like (but not limited to):

whether or not music will be amplified or unamplified
where the activity will occur on additional days during the summer months
where you wish the activity to go on longer on a particular day (e.g. Christmas Eve)

Timings

Give timings in the 24 hour clock format (e.g. 16:00) and only give details for the days of the week when you intend the premises to be used for the activity.

Consuming alcohol

You can select if people are able to consume alcohol on premises, off premises or both.

Children

Give information about anything intended to occur at the premises, or ancillary to the use of the premises, which could raise concerns about children (regardless of whether you intend children to have access to the premises).

You should include things like (but not limited to):

nudity or semi-nudity
films for restricted age groups
the presence of gaming machines

Licensing objectives

List the steps you will take to promote all four licensing objectives together

Digitally signing

The application form must be digitally signed

An applicant’s agent (for example solicitor) may digitally sign the form on their behalf provided that they have actual authority to do so.

Where there is more than one applicant, both applicants or their respective agents must digitally sign the application form.

Correspondence address

You need to include an address so that we can correspond with you about the application.

Immigration status

We'll ask about entitlement to work and immigration status for individual applicants and applications from partnerships which are not limited liability partnerships.

This could involve us checking your immigration status with the Home Office.

A licence can't be issued to an individual, or an individual in a partnership (which is not a limited liability partnership), who is resident in the UK who:

does not have the right to live and work in the UK
or
is subject to a condition preventing him or her from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity

Licenses for applications made on, or after, 6 April 2017 will be invalid if the holder stops being entitled to work in the UK.

Applicants can do this by:

providing documents to demonstrate their entitlement to work in the UK (which do not need to be certified) based on gov.uk information and in guidance
or
providing their ‘share code’ so we can carry out a check using the Home Office online right to work checking service.

Home Office online right to work checking service

To demonstrate your right to work via the Home Office online right to work checking service, you should include you share code and date of birth in your application.

An online check isn't possible in all circumstances as some applicants don't have an immigration status that can be shared digitally.

Last updated 15 April 2024