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Licensing
We advise any business or individual on how to obtain food, beverage and entertainment licences whether for a one-off/ special occasion or for ongoing trade.
Where applications are disputed, we have strong advocacy skills and can manage appeals to the local Magistrates Court or to the High Court on your behalf.
As well as acting for licensees, we regularly act for the Police and Local Authorities in respect of licensing matters, subsequent appeals, and a wide range of regulatory matters.
Our licensing lawyers advise on:
- licensing applications and temporary event notices
- licensing club premises
- certificate applications and amendments
- personal licence applications
- entertainment venue licences
- due diligence on property transactions including hotels, public houses and other licensed premises
- appeals to the local Magistrates Court
- appeals to the High Court via a judicial review
- licensing reviews and enforcement
"Wright Hassall is small enough so that they are very personable and approachable yet large enough to have all the expertise needed"
Pricing transparency
Licensing
Quality assured: Wright Hassall is Lexcel accredited, the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark for practice management and client care.
What is involved in making a premises licence application?
The submission of a licensing application will normally involve:
- Taking your instructions and checking your proposed plan.
- Drafting an application form which includes an operating schedule setting out how you will promote the licensing objectives.
- Drafting a newspaper notice publicising the application and arranging publication of the same.
- Producing a “blue notice” for display at the premises during the statutory consultation period.
- Submitting the application to the Licensing Authority.
The example fees set out below cover the average cost of applying for a new premises licence (under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003), or to vary a licence (Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003), to allow an ‘average’ business to carry out one or more licensable activities.
What your fees include
- Taking your instructions.
- Advising you how to promote the licensing objectives within your premises licence application.
- Advising on the type of plans required to accompany your application and the fee levels payable to the licensing authority.
- Completing and submitting the application along with suitable plans (provided by you).
- Arranging for the advertising of the application in the local newspaper.
- Advising you on where the notice advertising the application needs to be displayed in compliance with the Licensing Act 2003.
- Providing a designated premises supervisor (DPS) consent form for the personal licence holder to sign.
- Checking the licence for accuracy and sending it to you after it is granted.
The fixed fees set out below are based on a licence application being run with a combination of junior and senior lawyers whose time will be apportioned depending on the complexity of the case.
We generally assess whether a premises licence application is simple, medium, or high complexity according to the following criteria:
- The size, type, proposed opening hours and activities of the premises.
- The location of the premises, e.g. a site within a Cumulative Impact Area or a sensitive residential area is likely to qualify as medium or high complexity.
- Any other factors that mean that the application is likely to be controversial or attract objection.
| Type of application | Free scale (excluding VAT) (fixed fees based on £325 hourly rate) |
| Minor variation of premises licence application | £850 (plus VAT) |
| Simple premises licence application or full variation | £1650 (plus VAT) |
| Medium complexity application | £2,000 - £4,000 (plus VAT) |
| High complexity application | £4,000 - £6,000 (plus VAT) |
For medium and high complexity applications we will provide a bespoke fee proposal based on our hourly rates of:
Partner: £325
Associate Solicitor: £230
Trainee or Paralegal: £130
The fees above assume that you have the correct type of planning permission for the use of the premises) and do not include any costs payable to a third party which may include the following:
- Premises Licence application fee (the minimum cost is £100 but varies according to property’s rateable value)
- Minor Variation of Premises Licence Fee - £89
- Variation of Licence to specify new DPS fee - £23
- Transfer of Premises Licence fee - £23
- Personal Licence Application fee - £37
- The cost of a public notice in the local press - variable
- Travel expenses - variable
- Temporary Event Notice - £21
Timing
Timing will depend, largely, on the complexity of the matter. If you can supply all the necessary documents, a straightforward premises’ application or variation will take around six weeks; a minor variation will take less. A more complex application, or one that receives objections from other parties, will take longer.
Exclusions
The fees outlined do not include:
- Obtaining suitable plans
- Attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities, nor their fee for this meeting.
- 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 based on our hourly rate.
