Apply for alcohol and entertainment licences

A premises licence allows certain licensable activities to take place on your premises. Licensable activities include:

• supply of alcohol on or off-premises (or both)
• regulated entertainment - for example, live or recorded music and dancing
• late night refreshment

Before you apply you need to make sure you have the correct planning consent for the type of business and the hours in which you intend to operate​.

Any premises licence that includes the sale of alcohol will require a designated premises supervisor (DPS) to be specified as the person responsible for authorising the sale of alcohol. This person must hold a personal licence and is usually the person with the day-to-day responsibility for the premises.

You can view the number of applications received in 2024 and the list of premises holding a licence as PDF files.

Fees

The fees for both a new premises licence and the annual renewal are based on the non-domestic rateable value of the premises and are shown in the table below.

How long does it take?

The issuing of a licence will normally take between five and six weeks, but if there are any objections made by Responsible Authorities it may take longer.​ The licence renewal fee will be arranged by the Council once your licence has been granted.​ 

Apply

As part of your application you will need to:

• provide a plan of the premises - see the summary of requirements (PDF) for details on what the plan should include
• provide a consent form signed by the person who will be the designated premises supervisor
• provide a copy of your passport for proof of your right to work in the UK, or your share code issued by the Home Office (you do not need to do this if you are a limited company)
• pay the appropriate fee using a credit or debit card

You do not need to send a copy of your application or accompanying documentation to the Responsible Authorities. This will be done for you by the Licensing team​. You can apply online at GOV.UK using the button below. The application form is an editable online document and will work best using the Internet Explorer browser. It will not work on handheld devices or mobile phones.

Apply for a new premises licence

When you have submitted your application it will be reviewed, verified and confirmed by the Council. After that you must, within 10 days:​

• advertise the application in the local press (there will be an associated cost)​
• advertise the application on the premises on light blue paper for 28 days from when the application becomes valid

You may also be asked to contact the Council.

See the summary of requirements (PDF) for details of the key requirements for both types of advertisement.

If you need further information or you are having difficulty in completing the application process, you can contact the Council here.

Display your licence​

You must display the licence summary at your premises where it can be easily seen. It cannot be covered and must be visible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The licence will name the designated premises supervisor.​ The other pages of the licence should be kept safely at the premises. Police or Council officers can ask to inspect them at any time.​

Review of your premises licence

The public or a Responsible Authority may apply to the Council for a review of your premises licence. The application for a review must be based on evidence (from witnesses or documents) that the premises fails to meet one or more of the licensing objectives, and must relate to a matter under the control of the premises that could be solved or improved by changing the way the premises operates.

Responsible Authorities

The table below shows the Responsible Authorities that will be notified and given the opportunity to object by the Licensing team​ as part of the application process.