Apply for a Premises Licence

Who needs to apply and how much it costs

Application Guidance

Applicant guidance - Personal and premises licences (PDF, 328 KB)

You'll need a premises licence if you want to sell alcohol. You will also need a premises licence to serve hot food and drinks between 11pm and 5am. A premise licence doesn't have an expiry date, it is effective until it is either revoked, suspended, surrendered or lapses.

An individual (over the age of 18), business or partnership can apply.

All premises authorising the sale of alcohol must identify a person who has responsibility for the day to day running of the premises. This person is known as the Designated Premises Supervisor and therefore if your application includes the sale of alcohol (DPS) a consent form (PDF, 110 KB) (opens new window) will need to be completed. An application may be submitted for community premises to disapply the mandatory condition in respect of a designated premises supervisor.

You'll also need a licence if you provide the following types of entertainment:

plays
showing a film
indoor sporting event
boxing or wrestling (indoor or outdoor)
live and recorded music
performance of dance

You may still need a licence even if the activities are for charitable purposes.

Interim Authority Application - Premises

When the holder of a licence dies suddenly or becomes bankrupt or mentally incapable, an "interim authority" notice may be given to the licensing authority. This must be submitted within 28 days of the end of the previous license.

The notice may be given by a person who has an interest in the premises concerned or is connected to the former holder of the premises licence. For the purposes of an Interim Authority a person has a prescribed interest if:

the former holder has died and that person is their personal representative
the former holder has become mentally incapable and that person acts for him/her under a power of attorney
the former holder has become insolvent and that person is his/her insolvency practitioner

Interim Authority application form (PDF, 190 KB)