Here you will find out about applying for alcohol and entertainment licences.
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There are a wide range of activities and entertainment licences under the Licensing Act 2003. If you are involved in conducting any licensable activities, you will require the relevant licence or authorisation.
Licensable activities are defined as the:
*Regulated entertainment can be:
Click here to view the Northumberland County Council statement of licensing policy or click here to view hearing rules of Northumberland County Council.
A premises licence can authorise any or all the licensable activities defined in the Act.
For more information on obtaining a premises licence, please read here.
As a licensing authority, Northumberland County Council must adhere to the guidance from the secretary of state and its own statement of licensing policy when making decisions. We also promote the four licensing objects of the act:
To view the fees for premises licence applications, club premises certificate applications and applications to vary a premises licence, please click here.
Click here to download a printable version of the fees schedule.
All applications shown will have been advertised both on the premises and in the local press, and copies will have been sent to the responsible authorities.
Any elected councillor of the licensing authority is considered to be an interested party and can submit their feedback on the applications. If the public are considered to be interested parties, then they can also submit their views within the 28-day consultation period.
To submit an objection to any of the applications below, please download the form by clicking the link on the right of the table to the corresponding application.
Objections will only be considered relevant if they are submitted before the end of the consultation period and are about the likely effect of the grant of the premises licence on the promotion of the licensing objectives which are:
Send all completed forms to: Licensing Department Business Compliance & Public Safety Unit Public Protection Service Northumberland County Council West Hartford Business Park Cramlington, NE23 3JP Email address: Licensing01@northumberland.gov.uk
If you are in England or Wales and wish to provide late-night refreshments, regulated entertainment and sell alcohol, you need an authorisation from the local authority.
A premises licence can be permanent or time limited. Annual fees for any existing premises licence should be paid on the anniversary of its grant.
Please see here for more information.
You can apply for a premises licence if you are over 18 years old and one of the following:
Applications must be sent to the licencing authority for the area where the premises is located. Contact the local authority here. You must include the following, and please note any information provided here may become a condition of your licence:
An operating schedule detailing:
Notice: For a period of not less than 28 days, starting on the day after the day the application is accepted by us you must display a blue notice which is:
You must display the notice prominently on the premises where it can be conveniently read from the outside by passers-by. If your premises are more than 50 metres square, a further copy or copies of the notice must be displayed every 50 metres along the perimeter of your premises, again where passers-by are able to read them.
You are also required to publish a notice containing the same information in a local newspaper circulating in the vicinity of the premises. You will need to ensure that the notice is published at least once during the period of 10 working days starting on the day after the day on which your application is accepted by us.
Where relevant representations are received, a hearing will be held. Representations will only be considered relevant if they are submitted within the statutory time period and are about the likely effect of the activity on the licensing objectives. Applications can also be made to vary or transfer a licence. A hearing may be necessary if objections are made or conditions relating to a transfer are not met. Following the death, incapacity or insolvency of a licence holder, an application can be made for an interim authority notice. Applicants are advised to contact us as soon as possible, where it is considered that an interim authority notice may be needed.
Please choose from the forms below:
Please send all paper copy forms to:
Licensing Department Business Compliance & Public Safety Unit Public Protection Service Northumberland County Council West Hartford Business Park Cramlington NE23 3JP
Email address:Licensing01@northumberland.gov.uk
If you intend to sell alcohol at your premises, you will need to provide details of the person who you wish to be the designated premises supervisor (DPS). This person must hold a valid personal licence.
There can be a number of personal licence holders at the premises but there can only be one designated premises supervisor. They are usually the person who holds the day-to-day responsibility for the premises.
Submit a DPS form of consent signed by the person you wish to be the DPS, even if this is the same person who is applying for the premises licence.
For those wishing to end their responsibility as designated premises supervisor, you must notify the licensing authority and copy the request to the premises licence holder.
The premises licence must be returned to the authority. Please click here to download and complete the form.
Please send any forms regarding a DPS to the address above.
Village halls should apply for a premises licence in the name of the management committee. If the village hall wishes to be licensed to sell alcohol there are newly introduced provisions, which means you won’t need a designated premises supervisor. For further information, please contact your nearest licensing office.
There is a 28-day consultation period in which objections can be made. If a hearing is necessary, the applicant and any relevant parties will be invited to attend and have their comments heard.
If your premises are under construction and information is unavailable on a premises licence application, you may need a provisional statement. This could be to assure new investors that the license will be granted once the building work is complete.
This does not mean the applicant shouldn’t apply for a premises licence once the building is complete. It also means premises will not have a non-domestic rateable value – there is a statutory fee of £315 for a provisional statement.
Please contact your nearest licensing office for more information.
If you are eligible to apply for a premises licence, then you may also apply to transfer an existing premises licence to your name.
Please download and complete the application form and attach the existing premises licence document as well as the written form of consent. The application is £23 and must be copied to the police authority.
Please send all forms to:
Licensing Department Business Compliance & Public Safety Unit Public Protection Service Northumberland County Council West Hartford Business Park Cramlington NE23 3JP Email address: licensing01@northumberland.gov.uk
A club premises certificate authorises you to supply alcohol and regulated entertainment in a qualifying club. In a qualifying club there is technically no sale by retail of alcohol except to guests.
This is because the member owns part of the alcohol stock and the exchange of money is simply to preserve equity between members, where one may consume more than another. All applications are subject to a fee.
More information can be found here.
Clubs must meet set criteria. Please view the Licensing Act 2003 hearing rules regarding this, or see the DCMS website. The general conditions a qualifying club must satisfy are:
Any premises that is occupied and used regularly for club purposes should apply for a club premises certificate.
All applications should be made to the local authority where the premises is situated and a copy must also be given to the seven responsible authorities, along with the accompanying documents on the same day.
The applicant is required to advertise by displaying a sign on the club premises and placing an advertisement in a locally circulating newspaper.
Please submit all applications with the following information:
The local licensing authority may inspect the premises before an application is considered.
If there is any alteration to the rules, name or address of the club before an application is determined, the club secretary must give details to the local licensing authority. If a certificate has already been issued, this must be sent to the licensing authority along with the alteration details.
A club may apply to a local licensing authority to vary a certificate. The certificate should accompany the application.
In the event of a complaint we advise to first contact the trader, preferably in the form of a letter with proof of delivery. If this doesn’t work and you are located in the UK, please contact citizen’s advice.
If you are outside the UK, please contact UK European Consumer Centre. A club member may request a review of the certificate, and any appeals against decisions made should be done within 21 days.
Any interested party may provide objections to the local licensing authority before a certificate is granted or amended. If necessary, a hearing will be held to consider the application and the feedback given. An interested party:
If a premises’ licence holder wants to make any changes to their existing operating schedule, they can apply for a variation of the premises licence. A new premises licence may be necessary if substantial changes are planned. If the proposed changes are very minor, a holder may be able to use the minor variation process.
The application process is similar to the one for applying for a new licence in that:
Send all completed application forms to:
Licensing Department Business Compliance & Public Safety Unit Public Protection Service Northumberland County Council West Hartford Fire Station & HQ Fire Station West Hartford Business Park Cramlington NE23 3JP
A designated premises’ supervisor is required for all premises that supply alcohol and if they leave, another designated premises’ supervisor must be specified. There is an option on the application form for this change to take immediate effect, subject to no objections from the policy authority. The application must be copied to the police authority and the fee for this variation is £23.
Click here to download and complete20230516-Variation-DPS-app the application form or for more information on a DPS, please click here.
Variations that add to the sale or supply of alcohol to a licence are excluded. Applications must be advertised on the premises, using a white notice rather than blue, but there is no requirement to advertise in the local newspaper or to notify responsible authorities – though they may be involved if requested. Residents may make objections, to be considered by the local authority licensing officers, but there would be no hearing.
For more information on minor variations, please contact your nearest licensing office. Otherwise, please download and complete the application form and send to:
Any representations must be about the likely effect of granting the application on the promotion of the licensing objectives.
Applications for new premises licences, new club premises certificates or for a variation to an existing licence or certificate must be sent to the following responsible authorities:
Head of Fire Safety Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service HQ West Hartford Business Park Cramlington NE23 3JP
richard.leighton@northumberland.gov.uk
Laura Brooks Trading Standards Department Northumberland County Council West Hartford HQ West Hartford Business Park Cramlington NE23 3JP
laura.brooks@northumberland.gov.uk
John Liddell Public Health Northumberland County Council County hall Morpeth NE61 2EF
john.liddell@northumberland.gov.uk
If you are planning to hold an event in England or Wales, you must give a temporary event notice (TEN) to the local licensing authority and police no later than 10 working days before the event.
However, we recommend allowing as much time as possible between submitting the notice and the date of the proposed event.
Late notices can be given no later than 5 working days but not earlier than 9 working days before the event in relation to which the notice is given. A late notice given later than 5 working days before the event to which it relates will be returned as void and the activities described in it will not be authorised.
If the location of the event stretches over two or more local authorities, please make applications to each.
In order for us to grant a temporary event notice you must:
An activity that can be licensed must be detailed in the notice as well the following information:
A fee of £21 is payable with the notice. The local authority will acknowledge receipt by giving the notice to the premises user before the end of the first working day it was received on, or before the end of the second working day if the notice was received on a non-working day. This must be kept on the premises for the duration of the event.
The premises user must also give notice to the chief officer of the local police department no later than 10 working days before the event, unless the application is submitted electronically. The chief police officer can serve an objection notice if they feel the event would go against crime prevention objections.
This must be served within 48 hours of receipt of the temporary event notice. You must send two copies to the licensing team and one to the police licensing officer – who must receive the form within 24 hours of the licensing team receiving their copies.
If an objection notice is served, the local licensing authority will hold a hearing and a decision must be made at least 24 hours before the beginning of the event.
A police chief may withdraw their objection notice by modifying the temporary event notice with the consent of the premises user.
To apply for a personal licence to sell alcohol, a person must:
You will need to submit your application form with the £37 fee, your licensing qualification and a basic level police disclosure certificate.
Please send all documents to:
Business Compliance & Public Safety Unit Public Protection Service Northumberland County Council West Hartford Business Park Cramlington, NE23 3JP
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