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South Norfolk Council

Location > Home > Environment > Licensing & registration

Alcohol & entertainment licences

Summary

The Licensing Act 2003 gives us responsibilities relating to the licensing of alcohol including registered members clubs, regulated entertainment including theatre and cinema, live music and discos, indoor sporting events and the provision of late night refreshment.

If you are unsure if your business needs a licence or you are applying for a licence under this act, please read the guidance notes (download below). These contain basic information to help you in making a successful application.

You may also need a licence if you are organising an event, which includes entertainment or alcohol. Your event may need a Premises Licence, or if it is a small event (for under 500 people) a Temporary Event Notice. Both of these forms and others are available below.

Application forms in Microsoft Word format

Many of the application forms you can download are only available in Microsoft Word format. If you do not have Word, or a Word reader (software that can open Word documents) on your PC, then contact us and we can get the forms you need sent to you. Our contact details are at the foot of this page.

How to apply for a licence

Choose the right application form.
Make sure that you read any relevant guidance notes to help you with your application.
Fill out the application form, being careful to make sure that you give us all the information we ask for.
Send the completed form and any extra documents needed for the application, to the Licensing Team and to any other authority required. The guidance notes will advise you if this is necessary.
Please make sure that you make the correct payment for your application.

Printable forms

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Downloads

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Download the Licensing Act 2003 guidance for licensees [PDF, 104 Kb]

Download the Licensing Act 2003 licence application fees [PDF, 41 Kb]

Further information

Licensing Act 2003

Licensing Objectives

The Licensing Act aims to promote the four licensing objectives:

Prevention of crime and disorder;
Prevention of public nuisance;
Promotion of public safety;
Prevention of children from harm.

More information regarding these objectives can be found in our Statement of Licensing Policy.

Activities that can be licensed

A single licence can authorise one or all of the following licensable activities:

Retail sale of alcohol or supply of alcohol in the case of members clubs;
Regulated entertainment – live music, recorded music, plays, films, indoor sporting event, boxing and wrestling entertainment;
Late night refreshment – hot food and drink between 11pm and 5am.

Many types of premises will be licensed under the act including pubs and nightclubs, private members clubs and social clubs, off licenses, hotels, guest houses, restaurants, village halls, leisure centres theatres and cinemas.

Types of licence

The types of licenses issued under the Act are:

Personal Licence – issued to an individual;
Premises Licence – for a named premises;
Club Premises Certificate – for a non commercial members club;
Temporary Event Notice – for a one off event of up to 96 hours and for under 500 people.

If you would like any further information regarding these licenses please contact us - our contact details are at the foot of this page.

Applications & objections

Applications for new Premises Licenses/Club Premises Certificates, and changes to existing licenses, are advertised in the local press and on the premises which the application is for. This gives local residents, residents groups, local businesses and local business associations the opportunity to make relevant representations on the application. Representations must be relevant to the application content and Licensing Objectives, and made within the 28-day representation period.

Authorities including the Police, Fire, Trading Standards and the local Planning and Environmental Health departments are given a copy of the application. They also have the chance to raise representations.

If no representations are made the licence will be granted. If representations are made then a committee made up of councillors will consider the application and representations at a hearing. This may lead to conditions being imposed or the licence being refused.

Licence reviews

Sometimes licensed premises may lead to problems. In these cases we try to resolve the issues informally by giving advice to the licensee on preventing the problems from happening.

Local residents, residents groups, local businesses and local business associations or authorities such as the Police, Fire, Trading Standards and the local Planning and Environmental Health departments can apply to us to review a Premises Licence/Club Premises Certificate.

A committee hearing will then be held. Extra conditions may be added to the licence, it may be suspended for up to three months, or it might even be revoked.

Related pages on this website

External links

Department of Culture, Media and Sports
Guidance and advice to licensees and residents, with links to regulations and legislation.

About links to other websites.

Contact us

contact officer/team:	Licensing Team
web:	online enquiry form
email:	licensingteam@s-norfolk.gov.uk
telephone:	01508 533692 or 01508 533621
minicom/textphone:	01508 533622
address:	South Norfolk Council South Norfolk House Swan Lane Long Stratton Norwich NR15 2XE
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Last updated on: 02 July 2008