Licensing Act 2003
The Licensing Act 2003 came into effect in 2005. All
premises involved in the sale or supply of alcohol, the
provision of late night refreshments or regulated
entertainments need a Premises Licence or Club Premises
Certificate issued by Cheshire West and Chester Council.
This section of the website is divided into the following
sections. Please click the appropriate link:
All applications for a Premises Licence or Club Premises
Certificate currently within the 28 day consultation
period.
A list of all Licences issued by Cheshire West and Chester
Council.
How to object to an application.
A list of any Licences currently under review.
Licensing Act 2003 Statement of Principles
As a result of Local Government Reorganisation, the new Unitary
authority for Cheshire West and Chester has produced a new
statement of principles for the Licensing Act 2003. For
more details, please click on the following link.
Licensing
Act 2003 Statement of Principles
Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificate
Any Premises or Club wishing to permanantly hold the right
to provide Alcohol for sale, Late Night Refreshement (The sale
of any hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am)
or Regulated Entertainment (Live & Recorded Music, Plays,
Indoor Sporting Events, Dancing, Showing Films etc) will need
either a Premises Licence or a Club Premsises Certificate.
Designated Premises Supervisor
All Premises selling alcohol need to have a specified Designated
Premises Supervisor to authorise the Sale of Alcohol, this person
must hold a Personal Licence issued by a Licensing
Authority
Personal Licences
Personal Licences must be held by all
Designated Premises Supervisors. You must have acheived the
appropriate Accredited Licensing Qualification issued by either Bii
or GOAL (For more details, please see the useful links section
below). You will need to apply to the Licensing Authority
responsible for the area in whcih you currently live.
Temporary Events Notice
Any person wishing to hold an event in which they would
provide Alcohol for sale, Late Night Refreshement (The sale of any
hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am) or Regulated
Entertainment (Live & Recorded Music, Plays, Indoor Sporting
Events, Dancing, Showing Films etc) will need a Temporary Event
Notice. Temporary Event Notice applications must be received by the
Licensing Team at least 10 working days before the event, however
this cannot include either the day of the event or the date it is
received. The Licensing Team therefore recommend that applicants
allow an absolute minimum of 12 working days before the event to
avoid dissapointment.
ONLINE SERVICE AVAILABLE
You can now apply for a Temporary Event Notice using
our online application form. To use
this service you will need to register as a user and have a valid
credit or debit card.
If you would like to use this service, please view
our Online Temporary Events
Application.
Minor Variation to a Premises Licence or Club Premises
Certificate
A minor variation will generally fall
into four categories:
- minor changes to the structure or layout of the
premises
- small adjustments to the licensing hours or the removal
of a licensable activity
- removal of out of date or unenforceable
conditions
- addition of volunteered conditions
A minor variation
cannot be:
- changes to the layout that increase capacity for
drinking, block exits or impede the effective operation of noise
reduction measures
- addition of alcohol sales or supplies
- extensions to licensing hours for the supply of alcohol
between the hours of 23:00 and 07:00
- increases to the amount of time on any day during which
alcohol may be sold or supplied for consumption on or off the
premises.
Under this new simplified process you
will not need to advertise in a newspaper or send copies of the
application to the responsible authorities. You will need to
display a white notice on the premises, showing all the relevant
information about the application, for 10 working days. Interested
Parties may make a representation about the application within that
period.
The Licensing Authority must consider
whether the application could adversely impact any of the four
licensing objectives. If there is any doubt, then we will consult
with the relevant responsible authority. This may not be with all
the responsible authorities and in many cases a decision will be
made without consultation. Any representations received within the
ten working day notice period will be considered. There is no right
to a hearing, but any valid representations will be taken into
account before a decision is made.
The application form should be
submitted to the Licensing Authority, with a plan if the proposed
variation affects the layout, and a fee of £89. Please click the
link below for an application form.
Application For a Minor Variation to
a Premises Licence or Club Premises Certificate
Designated Premises Supervisor in respect of a Premises Licence
to be Disapplied
A community premises can now hold a
Premises Licence for the sale of alcohol without the requirement
for a Designated Premises Supervisor and Personal Licence Holder.
Instead, every supply of alcohol under the Premises Licence must be
made or authorised by the premises management committee.
An application to disapply the
condition requiring a Designated Premises Supervisor and to insert
the alternative licence condition must be made by a management
committee with responsibility for the premises. The application
must show how the premises are managed and the structure of the
committee or board of individuals with responsibility for its
management (including the names of key officers eg chair,
secretary, treasurer).
You will also need to explain why you
consider it to be a community premises. This would usually be a
church hall, chapel hall, parish hall, village hall or community
hall. If you are unsure if your premises qualifies, please contact
the Licensing Team.
The application form should be
submitted with a fee of £23 to the Licensing Authority and a copy
sent to the Police Licensing Officer. Please click the link below
for an application form.
Application For a Designated
Premises Supervisor in respect of a Premises Licence to be
Disapplied
Door Supervisors
Door supervisors will need to be licensed by the Security Industry
Authority (external link).
Contact Us
Click the following link for contact details for your local
Licensing Team.
Contact Licensing Team
Further Information
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport website holds
information and guidance on the new Licensing laws, this includes
the forms and fee's attached to the changes. You can access this
information at the Department of Culture,
Media and Sport website (external link).