Procedural Information

The application form contains a notes page and you should read these notes carefully prior to completing the form.

Application for a premises licence to be granted

A ‘premises’ under the 2003 Act can be any place including part of a street, field, market square, temporary structure as well as a building (or part of a building). Certain exemptions can apply to certain types of ‘premises’ (such as churches, educational establishments or vehicles). You should contact the Licensing Team if you require further guidance in this respect.

The statutory requirements for applying for a premises licence for a large temporary outdoor event are no different to an application applying for a permanent licence for a public house, bar or entertainment venue. You will need to provide a plan of the premises (and site), advertise the application both in a local newspaper and on the premises, serve a copy of the full application to all responsible authorities and pay any statutory fee applicable to the application. Organisers are also encouraged to provide an Event Management Plan (EMP) as part of their application proposals.

Remember, if you are seeking a licence for council owned land (such as a public park or street) then you will need to ensure that you serve a copy of your application to the Health & Safety Executive as well as all other responsible authorities under the Act. You must also separately ensure that you have permission to use the land in question.

It is helpful to persons with an interest in your application if you give an indication, within your operating schedule, of the maximum number of persons (including staff and performers) you anticipate will attend your event at any one time.

Normally your premises licence will be time limited to the day or days of your event. The application form provides a space for you to provide this information.

Fees

Carefully check the fee payable with your application. Some premises, which may include fields, streets, village greens etc will not have their own Non-Domestic Rateable value and therefore pay the lowest (Band A) licence fee. However some premises may be part of a premises that is rated and that fee will apply to your application. This could for example apply to a playingfield, within the boundaries of a factory, being used for licensable activities. To check Non-Domestic Rateable Value then access the Value Office Agency via the link below:

Valuation Office Agency  or contact  Babergh or Mid Suffolk District Council’s Money Matters team Tel: 01473 825798

Additional licence fees may be payable if your event is attended by 5,000 or more persons.

Plans

An integral part of your application is the plan of the premises which you must provide by law. Plans should be drawn in ink on durable paper to a legible scale (for example 1:200, or in the case of open spaces 1:2500). The plan should indicate each area of the premises which is required to be licensed. This includes all areas which may be accessed by the public during a licensed event. You do not need to have your plan professionally drawn but it must accurately contain the information set out by Regulation and clearly identify and delineate the area you are seeking to licence. You may wish to specify an ordnance survey map reference to help identify the area, and need to be aware that the extent of the licensed will be reflected by the plan.

In order to assist the Licensing Authority and responsible authorities understanding your application you may wish to provide more than one plan. This can be helpful for applications where, for example, a marquee or staging/seating area is erected in a field. You could consider showing the marquee or stage in a scale of 1:100 with the surrounding area as a siteplan at scale 1:2500.

In some cases you may not, at the time of application, know the exact final layout and finer details of your plan. Matters such as seating/staging arrangements may change after you submit the application. You may wish to consider providing in your operating schedule a commitment to provide the relevant authorities with a more detailed, updated or revised plan shortly before your event takes place. This may also be referenced in your Event Management Plan (EMP).