Applying for or Amending a Premises Licence – What does it cost?

The below sets out the range of estimated costs involved in making or amending a premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Please note that all prices listed below will be subject to VAT, and these estimates do not include additional disbursements such as licensing or agents fees. An indication of these are given below under ‘Additional Disbursements’.

What do these prices include?

• Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application
• Advising you as 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 in order 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.

The fees outlined above do not include:

• obtaining suitable plans
• attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities, nor their fee for this 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.

Should any of these additional points become a requirement, we can discuss this with you and give you a quote for this work in advance so that you are fully aware of the additional costs involved.

Additional Disbursements

Each case falls on its own facts, and once we have established the facts of your individual case, we can give an indication of any additional costs that may be incurred so that you are aware of the cost up front.

The following are additional costs which may be incurred as part of the premises licence application. Farleys will arrange for these to be paid on your behalf as part of the transaction.
• Application fee (payable to licensing authority) – fees range from £100 to £1,905+VAT @20%, depending on the rateable value of your premises. More information
• Advertising fee – £200-£500+VAT @20%*
• Enquiry agent fees to display public notices £150 – £250+VAT @20%*
• Special delivery fee to serve the application £1.70-£3.70 (as per current Royal Mail delivery charges)
• Printing additional copies of plans if necessary £0.20p per copy, up to and including A3 size).

*These fees vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located. The fees can on occasion be higher than the ranges given above. We will give you an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so.

How long will it take?

Matters usually take 6-8 weeks from receipt of full instructions from you. This is on the basis of the application being relatively straightforward and you being able to provide all the necessary documents promptly. If your matter is more complex, for example, if there is substantial opposition from interested parties, or if there is a delay in receiving the documents we need, it may take longer.