Variation of a Premises Licence

Application Forms

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Application Process

The application must be accompanied by the premises licence (or the appropriate part of the licence) or, if that is not practicable, by a statement of the reasons for the failure to provide the licence (or part).

An application to vary a premises licence must be made to the licensing authority for the area in which the premises is situated.

To make application you must submit:

• the required fee (this fee is an application fee and is not refundable)
• relevant application form
• plan (if variation relates to the layout of the premises)
• Proof of right to work and live  - See application guidance notes for further information
• confirmation that the application has been simultaneously served to the appropriate responsible authorities (if NOT applying through UK Welcomes or Flexible Business Support).
• If applying to vary a premises licence for a vessel you must also consult with Maritime Coastguard Agency. 

A notice must be clearly displayed on the premises and must also be published in a local newspaper.

• Holding and deferring electronic applications (s182) guidance
  If an application has been given at the weekend, the notice advertising the application (where applicable) may already be displayed outside the premises by the time that the licensing authority downloads the application. The Government therefore recommends that if a licensing authority holds an application, it should inform the applicant that the original (or if necessary, amended) notice must be displayed until the end of the revised period.

   

  Therefore, the applicant should not advertise the application in a local newspaper until they have received confirmation from the licensing authority that the application includes all the required information. This advice ensures applicants do not incur any unnecessary costs.

• Responsible authorities

  These are public bodies that must be fully notified of applications and that are entitled to make representations to the licensing authority in respect of the application. All representations made by responsible authorities are relevant representations if they concern the effect of the application on the licensing objectives.

  
  The responsible authorities

   

  When serving the application on the Licensing Authority, the applicant should simultaneously serve copies of the application and the plan on all relevant responsible authorities. The application is not valid until this has been completed.

   

  If applying online via UK Welcomes or through Flexible Support for Business the Vale of Glamorgan Council is responsible for sending the relevant copies to the responsible authorities.

   

  The responsible authorities have 28 consecutive days to consider the application served upon them. Members of the public/interested parties also have a 28-day period within which to consider making a relevant representation - see 'Representations' below.

• Determination 
  Where an application is either granted or rejected, the licensing authority will give a notice to that effect to the applicant, relevant responsible authorities and interested parties having made a successful representation and the chief officer of police for the area in which the premises is situated.
  
  Where there is a hearing, the committee must give clear and comprehensive reasons for its eventual determination of the application
• Representations 

  A hearing on an application will only occur where non-frivolous or vexatious objections or representations from interested parties or responsible authorities are received:

  • interested parties are businesses or residents in the vicinity of the premises and people representing businesses or residents
  • responsible authorities are as described above

   

  However, these representations must be considered by the licensing authority to have an impact on the promotion of one or more of the licensing objectives

  
  It is important to note that representations can be negative (objection) or positive (in support) of the application and must be made in writing or by email.
  
  Where no objections or relevant representations are made by responsible authorities or interested parties, the licensing authority must grant the premises licence variation on the 29th consecutive day subject only to the mandatory conditions and the operating schedule.
  
  If relevant representations are received, the licensing authority must hold a hearing and consider the representations, unless successful mediation has occurred.

• Mediation

  Mediation is successful where all parties, i.e. the applicant, all parties making relevant representations and with the agreement of the licensing authority; agree that the reasons for representation have been overcome and that these may be reflected in the licence issued, i.e. the operating schedule/licence conditions. 

• Hearing (mediation unsuccessful)

  Details of the date and time of the hearing together with details of the procedures to be followed will be sent to the applicant, responsible authorities and interested parties at least 10 working days before the day of the hearing.

  
  The applicant and parties described above must give notice to Vale of Glamorgan Council at least 5 working days before the start of the hearing stating:

  • whether they will attend the hearing in person
  • whether they will be represented by someone else (for example, lawyer, councillor, member of Parliament)
  • whether they think a hearing is unnecessary (e.g. an agreement has been reached before a formal hearing)
  • any request for another person to attend the hearing, including how they may be able to assist the licensing authority in relation to the application

   

  When a hearing is held, the committee must take such steps as it considers necessary for the promotion of the licensable objectives.

  
  These are:

  • grant the variation subject to:
  • the conditions volunteered in the operating schedule, modified to such extent as the committee considers necessary for the promotion of the licensing objectives
  • any mandatory conditions
  • exclude from the scope of the licence any of the premises activities to which the application relates, reject the application 

Tacit Consent

Yes. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority by the end of the target completion period.

The target time is 28 calendar days.

This may be extended if objections are received to allow for a hearing.

Background and Eligibility Criteria

A premises licence is a licence that is granted to authorise the premises to be used for licensable activities, namely:

• the retail sale of alcohol
• the provision of regulated entertainment
• the provision of late night refreshment

This is defined under the Licensing Act 2003 as:

• a performance of a play
• an exhibition of a film
• an indoor sporting event
• a boxing or wrestling entertainment (indoor and outdoor)
• a performance of live music
• any playing of recorded music
• a performance of dance
• facilities for dancing
• entertainment of a similar description to that falling within the performance of live music, the playing of recorded music and the performance of dance
• but only where the entertainment takes place in the presence of an audience and is provided at least partly to entertain that audience.

The provision of late night refreshment means the supply of hot food or hot drink to the public, for consumption on or off the premises, between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am or the supply of hot food or hot drink to any persons between those hours on or from premises to which the public has access.

Fees

The fee for a variation of a premises licence is based on rateable value. The fee is not refundable.

Conditions

• Supply of Alcohol

  1. No supply of alcohol may be made under the premises licence-

      a) at a time when there is no designated premises supervisor in respect of the premises licence, or

      b) at a time when the designated premises supervisor does not hold a personal licence, or his personal licence is suspended.

   

  2. Every supply of alcohol under the premises licence must be made or authorised by a person who holds a personal licence

• Irresponsible Drinks Promotions

  1) The responsible person must ensure that staff on relevant premises do not carry out, arrange or participate in any irresponsible promotions in relation to the premises.

   

  (2) In this paragraph, an irresponsible promotion means any one or more of the following activities, or substantially similar activities, carried on for the purpose of encouraging the sale or supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises:

      (a) games or other activities which require or encourage, or are designed to require or encourage, individuals to—

          (i)drink a quantity of alcohol within a time limit (other than to drink alcohol sold or supplied on the premises before the cessation of the period in which the responsible person is authorised to sell or supply alcohol), or

         (ii)drink as much alcohol as possible (whether within a time limit or otherwise);

     (b) provision of unlimited or unspecified quantities of alcohol free or for a fixed or discounted fee to the public or to a group defined by a particular characteristic in a manner which carries a significant risk of undermining a licensing objective;

     (c) provision of free or discounted alcohol or any other thing as a prize to encourage or reward the purchase and consumption of alcohol over a period of 24 hours or less in a manner which carries a significant risk of undermining a licensing objective;

    (d)selling or supplying alcohol in association with promotional posters or flyers on, or in the vicinity of, the premises which can reasonably be considered to condone, encourage or glamorise anti-social behaviour or to refer to the effects of drunkenness in any favourable manner;

    (e) dispensing alcohol directly by one person into the mouth of another (other than where that other person is unable to drink without assistance by reason of disability).

• Free drinking water 
  The responsible person must ensure that free potable water is provided on request to customers where it is reasonably available. 
• Age Verification Policy

  (1) The premises licence holder or club premises certificate holder must ensure that an age verification policy is adopted in respect of the premises in relation to the sale or supply of alcohol.

   

  (2) The designated premises supervisor in relation to the premises licence must ensure that the supply of alcohol at the premises is carried on in accordance with the age verification policy.

   

  (3) The policy must require individuals who appear to the responsible person to be under 18 years of age (or such older age as may be specified in the policy) to produce on request, before being served alcohol, identification bearing their photograph, date of birth and either—

      (a) a holographic mark, or

      (b) an ultraviolet feature.

• Smaller Measures

  The responsible person must ensure that—

     (a) where any of the following alcoholic drinks is sold or supplied for consumption on the premises (other than alcoholic drinks sold or supplied having been made up in advance ready for sale or supply in a securely closed container) it is available to customers in the following measures—

        (i) beer or cider: ½ pint;

        (ii) gin, rum, vodka or whisky: 25 ml or 35 ml; and

        (iii) still wine in a glass: 125 ml;

    (b) these measures are displayed in a menu, price list or other printed material which is available to customers on the premises; and

    (c) where a customer does not in relation to a sale of alcohol specify the quantity of alcohol to be sold, the customer is made aware that these measures are available.

• Minimum Pricing

  1. A relevant person shall ensure that no alcohol is sold or supplied for consumption on or off the premises for a price which is less than the permitted price.

   

  2. For the purposes of the condition set out in paragraph 1—

     (a) “duty” is to be construed in accordance with the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979;

     (b) “permitted price” is the price found by applying the formula—

  Where—

         (i) P is the permitted price,

         (ii) D is the amount of duty chargeable in relation to the alcohol as if the duty were charged on the date of the sale or supply of the alcohol, and

        (iii) V is the rate of value added tax chargeable in relation to the alcohol as if the value added tax were charged on the date of the sale or supply of the alcohol;

     (c) “relevant person” means, in relation to premises in respect of which there is in force a premises licence—

        (i) the holder of the premises licence,

        (ii) the designated premises supervisor (if any) in respect of such a licence, or

        (iii) the personal licence holder who makes or authorises a supply of alcohol under such a licence;

    (d) “relevant person” means, in relation to premises in respect of which there is in force a club premises certificate, any member or officer of the club present on the premises in a capacity which enables the member or officer to prevent the supply in question; and

    (e) “value added tax” means value added tax charged in accordance with the Value Added Tax Act 1994.

   

  3. Where the permitted price given by Paragraph (b) of paragraph 2 would (apart from this paragraph) not be a whole number of pennies, the price given by that sub-paragraph shall be taken to be the price actually given by that sub-paragraph rounded up to the nearest penny.

   

  4. (1) Sub-paragraph (2) applies where the permitted price given by Paragraph (b) of paragraph 2 on a day (“the first day”) would be different from the permitted price on the next day (“the second day”) as a result of a change to the rate of duty or value added tax.

  (2) The permitted price which would apply on the first day applies to sales or supplies of alcohol which take place before the expiry of the period of 14 days beginning on the second day.

• Exhibition of Films

  (1) Where a premises licence authorises the exhibition of films, the licence must include a condition requiring the admission of children to the exhibition of any film to be restricted in accordance with this section.

   

  (2) Where the film classification body is specified in the licence, unless subsection (3)(b) applies, admission of children must be restricted in accordance with any recommendation made by that body.

   

  (3) Where—

       (a) the film classification body is not specified in the licence, or

       (b) the relevant licensing authority has notified the holder of the licence that this subsection applies to the film in question, admission of children must be restricted in accordance with any recommendation made by that licensing authority.

   

  (4)In this section—

  • “children” means persons aged under 18; and
  • “film classification body” means the person or persons designated as the authority under section 4 of the Video Recordings Act 1984 (c. 39) (authority to determine suitability of video works for classification).

• Door Supervision 

  (1) Where a premises licence includes a condition that at specified times one or more individuals must be at the premises to carry out a security activity, the licence must include a condition that each such individual must

      (a) be authorised to carry out that activity by a licence granted under the Private Security Industry Act 2001; or

      (b) be entitled to carry out that activity.

  (2) But nothing in subsection (1) requires such a condition to be imposed—

      (a) in respect of premises within paragraph 8(3)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (c. 12) (premises with premises licences authorising plays or films), or

      (b) in respect of premises in relation to—

          (i)any occasion mentioned in paragraph 8(3)(b) or (c) of that Schedule (premises being used exclusively by club with club premises certificate, under a temporary event notice authorising plays or films or under a gaming licence), or

         (ii)any occasion within paragraph 8(3)(d) of that Schedule (occasions prescribed by regulations under that Act).

  (3) For the purposes of this section—

     (a) “security activity” means an activity to which paragraph 2(1)(a) of that Schedule applies, and which is licensable conduct for the purposes of that Act (see section 3(2) of that Act), and

    (b) paragraph 8(5) of that Schedule (interpretation of references to an occasion) applies as it applies in relation to paragraph 8 of that Schedule

Complaint and Other Redress

•  Failed Application Redress
  Please contact the Licensing Team in the first instance:

   

  Tel:  0300 123 6696

  Email:  licensing@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

   

  Any person aggrieved by a refusal to be granted a licence may appeal to the Magistrates Courts who may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as it thinks proper.

•  Licence Holder Redress
  Please contact the Licensing Team in the first instance:

   

  Tel:  0300 123 6696

  Email:  licensing@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

   

  Any person aggrieved by any conditions to which a licence is subject may appeal to the Magistrates Courts who may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as it thinks proper.

•  Consumer Complaint
  We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you, preferably in the form of a letter with proof of delivery. 

   

  If that has not worked and you are located in the UK Consumer Direct will be able to give you advice.    

   

  If you have a complaint from across Europe contact the UK European Consumer Centre.

•  Other Redress
  The chief police officer for the police area where the premises are located can apply to the licensing authority for a review of the licence if the premises are licensed to sell alcohol by retail and a senior officer has given a certificate that they are of the opinion that the premises are associated with either serious crime or disorder or both. A hearing will be held and the licence holder and other interested parties may make representations.

   

  A chief police officer can give a notice to the licensing authority if they believe that the transfer of a licence to another, under a variation application could undermine crime prevention objectives. Such a notice must be given within 14 days of receiving notification of the application.

   

  An interested party or responsible body may make representations in relation to a licence application or request the licensing body to review a licence.

   

  An interested party or responsible authority may apply to the licensing authority to review the premises licence. A hearing will be held by the licensing authority.

   

  A chief police officer may make representations to the licensing authority for a review of the licence if the premises are licensed to sell alcohol by retail and a senior member of the force has given a certificate to state that in their opinion the premises are associated with serious crime, disorder or both.

   

  An interested party or relevant authority who made relevant representations may appeal against the granting of a licence or against any condition, variation, licensable activity or premises supervisor decisions.

  Appeals are made to a Magistrates' court within 21 days of notice of the decision.

Supplementary Information

• Operating schedule

  The operating schedule is part of the application form and sets out various details on how a premise is proposed to operate when carrying on licensable activities.

  
  It must contain the following information:

  • the licensable activities to be carried out
  • the proposed hours that the relevant licensable activities are to take place
  • the name and address of the designated premises supervisor if the licensable activities include the retail sale of alcohol
  • where alcohol is to be supplied, whether supplies are for consumption on and/or off the premises
  • a statement of the steps the applicant proposes to take to promote the licensing objectives
  • where the licence is for a limited period, that period

   

  The significance of the operating schedule is that if the application for variation is granted, it will be incorporated into the licence and will set out the permitted activities and any limitations.

• Plan of the premises

  A premises plan must be of the standard scale - 1mm = 100mm (unless previously agreed by the Council in another format). The Council’s preference is also that plans should not be larger than A3 in size.                   

   

  The premises plan shall include the following:

  • the location of the extent of the boundary of the building, if relevant, and any external and internal walls which comprise the premises, or in which the premises is comprised
  • the location of points of access to and egress from the premises
  • if different from the above, the location of escape routes from the premises
  • in cases where the premises is to be used for more than one licensable activity, the area within the premises used for each activity
  • fixed structures (including furniture) or similar objects temporarily in a fixed location (but not furniture) which may impact on the ability of individuals on the premises to use exits or escape routes without impediment
  • in a case where the premises includes a stage or raised area, the location and height of each stage or area relative to the floor
  • in the case where the premises includes any room or rooms containing public conveniences, the location of any of these
  • the location and type of any fire safety and any other safety equipment including, if applicable, marine safety equipment; and
  • the location of a kitchen, if any, on the premises

   

  The plan may include a legend where indication of the above is by the use of symbols. Example legends for operating plan.

• Notice

  To advertise the application, the applicant must clearly display a Notice of a size equal or larger than A4 (on pale blue paper) printed legibly in black ink or typed in black in a font size equal to or larger than size 16. This should be immediately on or outside the premises for a period of no less than twenty eight consecutive days starting on the day following the day on which the application was given to the Vale of Glamorgan Council and during which time interested parties may make representations.

  
  For properties with a frontage onto a highway more than 50 metres long, the Notice should be displayed at 50 metre intervals.
  
  Additionally, the applicant must publish a notice in a local. This should be on at least one occasion during the period of 10 working days starting on the day following the day on which the application was given to Vale of Glamorgan Council.

   

  The Notice should clearly contain a brief summary of the variation application setting out details as follows:

  • proposed relevant licensable activities to be carried on or from the premises
  • the name of the applicant
  • the postal address of the premises premises, if any, or if there is no postal address for the premises a description of those premises sufficient to enable the location and extent of the premises to be identified
  • the postal address and, where applicable, the world-wide web address where the Vale of Glamorgan Council register is kept and where the record of the application may be inspected
  • the dates between which an interested party and responsible authorities may make representations to Vale of Glamorgan Council (see advertising applications above)
  • a statement that representations shall be made in writing; and
  • a statement that it is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for the offence - £5,000

   

Regulations and Guidance