Licensing Reviews

Important: please read the following notes before downloading the application form below.

The ability to review an existing licence is an important part of the Licensing Act so that any licensed premises operating in a manner that does not promote the licensing objectives, for example, noise from live music constantly escaping from premises late at night and causing disturbance to local residents – not promoting the 'prevention of public nuisance' objective - can be brought to the attention of the Licensing Authority.

The parties able to call a review are  'responsible authorities' , (such as the Police, Fire Authority, Noise and Nuisance Team etc), and persons who live or are involved in a business in the licensing authority's area and who are affected by the operation of the premises ("other persons").

However, any application to have a premises licence reviewed must clearly show how the operation of the individual premises has not promoted, or has worked against, one or more of the Licensing Objectives:

Once an application for a premises licence to be reviewed has been made, the Licensing Authority must advertise the application by placing a notice, of size A4 or larger, on, at or near the premises subject to the application.

The Royal Borough will also place a notice at the Town Hall advertising the application and place the relevant details on the Council's website. Those individuals who have subscribed to the automated notification scheme will receive an email detailing any relevant applications for a review.

Responsible authorities and "other persons" as described above may also make representations relating to the premises subject of a review within 28 consecutive days of the original application being made.

The review application will trigger a hearing before the Licensing Committee unless all parties involved reach an agreement about the future operation of the premises and the Licensing Authority agrees to waive the need for a hearing.

Any person or body making the initial application for the review of a premises licence must serve notice of the application on the Licensing Authority, the holder of the premises licence and each of the Responsible Authorities.

View contact details for the Licensing Authority and the Responsible Authorities.

If a hearing is necessary the Licensing Committee will have the following options open to it having heard the evidence at the review:

• take no further action
• issue a warning
• modify the conditions of the licence
• exclude a licensable activity from the scope of the licence
• remove the designated premises supervisor
• suspend the licence for up to three months
• revoke the licence

A decision to modify conditions or exclude a licensable activity can be made on a permanent or temporary basis (for up to three months) depending on the particular issues raised in the 'representations' and the evidence given at the review hearing.

Every decision the Licensing Committee and Sub-Committee make must relate directly to the four licensing objectives, having had regard to the application itself, the representations received, the relevant sections of the Secretary of State's Guidance and the Authority's own Statement of Licensing Policy.

See Secretary of State's Guidance  and the Statement of Licensing Policy for further details.

The same procedure applies to applications for reviewing a Club Premises Certificate.

Application form

• download: Application for the review of a premises licence or club premises certificate [PDF file] (file size 90Kb)