Premises licence

If you wish to provide licensable activities in a single defined area you will need a premises licence.

This can include for example a building, part of building, a vessel, a vehicle, a temporary structure, or an open area of land.

Licensable activities are:

selling or supplying alcohol
providing late night refreshment
providing regulated entertainment.

Further information about licensable activities and exemptions can be viewed in the Licensing Act 2003

A premises licence lasts indefinitely unless surrendered or revoked but there is an annual fee to maintain it. A premises licence can be time limited if it is only required for a certain period and a temporary event notice would not be suitable.

Certain members clubs can apply for a Club Premises Certificate instead.

On this page:

Before applying for a premises licence

The application forms and process to apply or alter a premises licence are defined by law.

You should be familiar with our policy before applying for any licence. You can download our current licensing policy below.

Licensing act 2003 policy (PDF, 1 MB)

Incomplete or incorrect applications will be rejected. An application is not considered complete until a correctly completed application is served on us and the responsible authorities, the required documents have been supplied, and the fee paid.

How to apply for a new premises licence

Before applying for a new premises licence you should consider seeking professional or legal advice and assistance.

The application forms and process to apply for premises licence are defined by law.

You should also be familiar with our policy before applying for a licence. You can download our current licensing policy below.

Licensing act 2003 policy (PDF, 1 MB)

Incomplete or incorrect application will be rejected. An application is not considered complete until a correctly completed application is served on us and the responsible authorities, the required documents have been supplied, and the fee paid.

There is a 28 day consultation period with all new premises licence applications.

Making an application

Step 1: Read the guidance documents. If you are applying for alcohol sales then additional guidance is available via the GOV.UK website.

Step 2: Provide the following to us:

a completed premises licence application form (we have provided some suggested conditions to add to your application in our forms section)
a plan of the premises that clearly shows:
- entrances and exits
- the bar area
- for off licensed premises, where alcohol is displayed
- fire safety equipment (alarms, blankets, extinguishers)
- a clear line around the area intended to be licensed
- boundary of the building
- fire escapes
- fixed structures
- any raised areas (stages, platforms)
- the location of toilet facilities
- additional rooms, including the kitchen area of the building.
the fee
if the application includes supplying alcohol, the completed consent of the proposed designated premises supervisor form
if the applicant is an individual or partnership then copied proof of your right to work in the UK.

Plans can be any scale and don't need to be professionally drawn but must be legible.

It is advisable to submit the application and plans to us informally for checking before paying and proceeding any further.

Step 3: On the same day you serve the application to us you must also serve a copy of the full application, to each of the responsible authorities.

Step 4: On the day after the complete application was served to us you must display a notice. The notice must be:

pale blue
A4 size
text written legibly in black or typed in black in a font of a size equal to or larger than 16
displayed for at least 28 consecutive days
displayed in a prominent position where it can be conveniently read from the outside of the premises.

Step 5: Within 10 working days, from the day after the complete application was served to us you must on at least one occasion publish a notice in a local newspaper which is distributed in the area of the premises. Most commonly this will be the New Milton Advertiser and Lymington Times but other local newspapers are acceptable.

Supplying alcohol additional requirements

If you will be supplying or selling alcohol you will require a Designated Premise Supervisor (DPS). A DPS must hold a personal licence. There can only be one DPS for any premise at any time.

The DPS has a legal responsibility for the day to day management of the premises under the terms of the licence. They don't necessarily need to be the owner or manager but will be the point of contact for the premises.

In addition, every sale of alcohol must be authorised by a person who holds a personal licence. Not all staff will need a personal licence but it is advisable to have enough licence holders to authorise sales to cover staff shifts and leave.

Receiving your new premises licence

The licence will be granted providing there are no valid representations during the 28 day consultation period.

The licence consists of:

a paper licence including conditions that must be followed
a licence summary which must be displayed at the premises
approved plans.

If a valid representation is received and all of the involved parties cannot agree a resolution, then a licensing sub-committee hearing will be held. They can decide to:

grant the licence
refuse the licence
add additional conditions of restrictions to the licence.

Should a valid representation be received the applicant will be notified and the procedure explained.

Varying a premises licence

There are two types of application to vary a licence depending on the changes required. You will either need to apply for a full variation or a minor variation.

In some case a new premises licence will be required if the changes are substantial.

Before applying please contact us at an early stage to determine if your proposed changes would require a full variation application or a minor variation application.

A full variation follows the same procedure as a new premises licence but has its own application form and templates. There is a 28 day consultation period. You are required to display a notice and put an article in a local newspaper.

A minor variation has a simplified procedure. There is a 10 working day consultation period. You are required to display a notice but don't need to put an article in a local newspaper. Guidance notes can be downloaded in our forms section along with the application form and templates.

Objections and representations

Objections under the Licensing Act 2003 are referred to as representations.

Only certain persons can make a valid representation against the issue of a new or varied premises licence during the consultation period. These include:

persons living locally to the premises
businesses local to the premises
bodies or persons representing one of the above.

Representations must be made in writing to us by post or email and received before the end of the consultation period.

Representation must be relevant to at least one of the four licensing objectives which are:

prevention of crime and disorder
public safety
prevention of public nuisance
protection of children from harm.

We recommend that the following guidance notes and representation form is downloaded if you wish to submit a representation.

Representation form and guidance (Word doc, 70 KB)

Public registers

We maintain public registers of existing premises licences and applications currently under consultation.

Pending premises licence application register

If you wish to review an application, you can do so by visiting Appletree Court, Lyndhurst during office hours. Please call ahead to ensure a member of staff is available to assist you.

Fee

You can download a full list of Licensing Act fees.

Licensing act 2003 fees (PDF, 120 KB)

We will send a reminder letter to you before your annual fee due date, detailing how to make payment.

You can pay your annual fee up to two months in advance. Failure to pay the annual fee on time will result in your licence being suspended. You will not be able to provide any licensable activities whilst suspended.

If you would like to pay your premises licence annual fee online, use the form below. You will need to have your annual fee letter to hand.

Pay premises annual fee