Licensing

Alcohol & entertainment

There are a number of different kinds of license that might need to be obtained before providing alcohol to the public, depending on the situation and the nature of the business or organisation in question. Our experienced alcohol licensing barristers can advise on the most appropriate licence for your premises.

The main types of alcohol license are:

Premises License: These are for businesses and organisations that either sell alcohol or supply alcoholic drinks to patrons. This license is for those who do so on a permanent basis, rather than temporarily for a specific period or event.

Personal License: This is practically similar to a premises license, but tied to an individual instead of to the premises. It is for any individual who wishes either to supply alcohol on a regular, permanent basis or to authorise the sale of alcoholic drinks. It is essential for the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) to be a Personal license Holder.

Temporary Event Notice: This is essentially a temporary license for businesses, organisations or individuals who only want to supply alcohol for a limited time. Most commonly, it is used for one-off or limited-time events that include the supply or sale of alcohol in a location where this is not routinely done.

Club Premises Certificate: This is essentially a specialised form of the premises license. It is reserved for premises belonging to certain members clubs including working men’s clubs, organisations like the Royal British Legion, or some sports clubs. In some circumstances, businesses and even individuals may require a license in order to provide entertainment. Licenses are also most likely required by businesses and organisations that provide live dramatic or dance performances to audiences of more than 500 people, or live sports for spectators numbering over 1,000. Certain kinds of entertainment require licenses regardless of audience size, including film screenings and certain sports such as boxing and wrestling.

Our licensing law barristers can provide guidance on the legal issues and requirements surrounding licensing for the supply of alcohol and provision of entertainment. They can also assist with any difficulties experienced with existing licences. Our licensing barristers specialise in review hearings and appeals against decisions of the licensing sub-committee and can provide you with professional and reliable legal advice and representation.

Recent cases that our licensing barristers have been involved in include :

  • Successfully acting on behalf of a nightclub located in a city-centre impact zone against review proceedings brought by the police;
  • Representing the applicant for a licence in proceedings relating to the licensing of an open-air music festival, vigorously opposed by the police and local authority;
  • Successfully representing a restaurant in review proceedings brought by the local authority;
  • Acting on behalf of a multi-agency investigation unit, to successfully secure the removal of the premises licence for a business involved in employing an illegal worker. They had previously been banned from selling alcohol as a result of raids by the local authority and immigration authorities; and many other similar cases.