Whether you’re opening a new bar, adding alcohol to a café, or taking over a site that’s never been licensed, the premises licence application is the make-or-break step. Done well it sails through in about six weeks; done badly it collects objections, conditions you’ll regret, or an outright refusal. Here’s how the process works.
What goes into the application
- The application form — submitted to the council where the premises sits.
- The operating schedule — the heart of the application: which licensable activities, what hours, and crucially the steps you’ll take to promote the four licensing objectives (crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance, protection of children). These steps become enforceable conditions, so promise what you can deliver.
- A scale plan of the premises showing licensable areas, exits, and fixed structures.
- DPS consent form — your designated premises supervisor, who must hold a personal licence.
- The fee — banded by the property’s rateable value, from £100 (band A) to £1,905 (band E), plus an annual fee thereafter.
The consultation: 28 days in the spotlight
You must advertise the application with a public notice at the premises (the pale-blue A4 notice) for 28 consecutive days and in a local newspaper within 10 working days. Responsible authorities — police, environmental health, fire, safeguarding — and any local resident can make representations during this window.
- No representations: the licence is granted as applied for.
- Representations: a licensing sub-committee hearing decides — grant, grant with conditions, or refuse.
Most objections are negotiated away before the hearing by agreeing conditions with the police or environmental health. This is where experienced help pays for itself: our Premises Licence Application service drafts the operating schedule, handles the notices and deals with the authorities on your behalf.
Already licensed? You may only need a variation
- Minor variation (£89): small changes that can’t adversely affect the licensing objectives — minor layout changes, removing out-of-date conditions, small tweaks. No newspaper ad, 10 working-day process, white notice only. Our Minor Variation service covers this.
- Full (major) variation: anything bigger — longer hours, extending the licensed area, adding late-night refreshment. Same fee scale, advertisement and 28-day consultation as a new application. Handled end-to-end by our Major Variation service.
- No variation needed: changing the DPS, transferring the licence to a new owner, or changing non-structural furniture — these have their own simpler processes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a premises licence application take?
About 6–8 weeks for a clean application: preparation, the 28-day consultation, then the grant. Add several weeks if it goes to a hearing.
Can I start trading while I wait?
Not under the premises licence — but Temporary Event Notices can sometimes bridge a short gap for specific events.
What’s the most common mistake?
Copy-pasted operating schedules that promise conditions the operator can’t keep — CCTV retention they don’t have, door staff they never hire. Those conditions are enforceable forever; breaching one is a criminal offence.
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