Thank you for looking at our Alcohol Licensing Law services. The UK law is constantly changing, making the entertainment and leisure industry a challenging environment for both existing and new enterprises. It is essential to obtain professional legal advice whether you are looking to make an application for a premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003 or applications to vary a licence under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003.
Why Us
We have an experienced team with a detailed understanding of all UK licensing laws in relation to licensed premises, who can provide you with pragmatic and commercial licensing advice to maximise the effectiveness and profitability of your business. Whether you require a permanent, temporary or variation licence, we will discuss all the options available to you.
We are proud to hold Lexcel Accreditation, issued by the Law Society. This involves the firm undergoing a rigorous audit process which ensures we maintain the highest levels of client care.
Pricing
The fees involved in licensing applications vary and it is not always possible to provide a fixed fee in this regard. However, we can give you a range of fees, based on the complexity of your applications. The complexity of an application may vary depending on factors such as whether there is a cumulative impact policy in place, the type and size of the premises or whether the premises are in a residential area.
We have two fee structures in place:
Range of Fees
Complexity | Our Fee (incl. VAT) |
|---|---|
Simple | £200 -300 |
Medium | £1000 - £1500 |
High Complexity | £3-5000.00 |
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as application fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Examples of Anticipated Disbursements
Item |
|---|
Application fee (payable to licensing authority) £23.00 to £630.00 |
Advertising fee (to be agreed by you) estimated fee £350.00 |
Enquiry Agent fees to display public notices est 150.00 |
Special delivery fee to serve the application £50.00 |
Additional print costs for plans £150.00 |
* These fees will vary upon the type of application and also further information on the individual premises and their location.
Exclusions
Our fees are fixed and include items detailed above, however there may be factors which would typically increase the cost of the fees estimated above. Where there is likely to be any additional cost, we will make sure you are informed of this at the earliest opportunity and a clear estimate of those extra costs will be provided.
Factors that may lead to an increase in cost include:
- Obtaining suitable plans
- Attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities and their fee for such a meeting.
- Dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representations received from either the responsible authorities or other interested parties
- Advising on varying the licence
- Attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee hearing of the responsible authority. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee is required, then we will provide a separate fee estimate for this work which will be charged at an hourly rate.
Time Scales
A simple application will take between 4 weeks , from receipt of full instructions from you. An application for a new licence will take 8 to 12 weeks .This is on the basis that the application is relatively straightforward and that we have been provided with all the documents required in a timely manner. Where an application is more complex, as detailed above, or there is substantial opposition from other parties, it may take longer. We will discuss any changes to timescales with you as appropriate, so you always have a realistic idea of how long your licensing application should take.
Key Milestones
With every transaction there are key milestones; our fee will include these milestones and may be as follows:
- Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application
- Advising you on the type of plans you are required to submit with your application.
- Completing the application form for a new premises licence (including the operating schedule) in accordance with your instructions and submitting this to the local licensing authority alongside suitable plans. You must provide suitable plans.
- Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the licensing authority.
- Preparing copies of the premises licence application for disclosure to the responsible authorities and serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities.
- Drafting the notices advertising the premises licence application and submitting the notice to the local newspaper.
- Arranging with you for you to display the notice(s) advertising the premises licence application and advising as to where and how this should be done by you to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.
- Providing a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) consent form for signature by a personal licence holder proposed by yourself.
- Checking the licence once granted and correcting any errors with the licensing authority.
