Premises licences service and pricing information

Pricing

We are transparent about our pricing and will seek to agree a fixed or capped fee with you for some or all of the work we carry out for you, based on what you need us to do and how we will go about delivering on that for you.

Where we cannot fix or cap our fee we will let you know what the cost will be of taking agreed steps or achieving/reaching a particular point in the work we are carrying out for you. This will be based on our hourly rates and the time we anticipate spending on carrying out the work.

We will keep you fully informed about what we are doing, how we are resourcing the work and if what we are doing changes, agree a revised fee with you.

Our cost to you for preparing drafting and submitting applications for a new premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003 and applications to vary a premises licence under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Our fee will ordinarily be within the fee ranges set out below, depending upon the nature/circumstances surrounding the application:

• Simple application: £500 - £1,250 exc VAT
• Medium complexity: £750 - £1,750 exc VAT
• High complexity: £1,500 - £5,000 exc VAT

Factors affecting complexity may include whether there is a cumulative impact policy in place, the type and size of the premises, the history of activity at/previous applications in relation to the premises, the approach of the local authority to which the application will be submitted, whether the premises is in a residential area or the application is related to a large scale public event.

Key stages of the transaction

The fee includes:

• Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application.
• Advising you on 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 authority alongside suitable plans. You must provide suitable plans.
• Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the local 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 premises licence once granted and correcting any errors with the local authority.

The fee does not include:

• Obtaining suitable plans.
• Attending pre-consultation meetings with the local 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 premises 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 a fixed fee, capped fee or charged at an hourly rate.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as the application fee. We will pay the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Application fee (payable to licensing authority)

New applications for premises licences  or variations to premises licences– Local Authority fees (based on rateable value)

Band A (less than £4,300)  - £100.
Band B (£4,301 - £33,000) - £190
Band C (£33,001 - £87, 000) - £315
Band D (£87, 001 - £125, 000) - £450
Band E (£125, 000 and above) - £635

A multiplier is applied to premises in bands D and E where they are exclusively or primarily in the business of supplying alcohol for consumption on the premises. Band D (£450 x 2 - £900 ) and band E (£635 x 3 - £1,905).

For large venues where the maximum number of people allowed on the premises at the same time is over 5,000 there is an additional fee based on capacity.

Advertising fee

The application must be advertised in a local newspaper. The cost of the newspaper advert will vary depending on the size of the advert and the paper it is placed in. The advert costs are generally in the region of £200 to 450 plus VAT.

Other fees

• Enquiry agent fees to display public notices £*
• Special delivery fee to serve the application £*
• Printing additional copies of plans if necessary £*

*These fees vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located. We will give you an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so.

How long will it take for my application to be granted?

It will usually take 5 to 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.

NB. The fees set out above apply to England & Wales only.

Matthew Phipps, Partner and head of Licensing (England & Wales), based in Bristol. Read Matthew’s profile for more information about her areas of expertise and contact details. 

Ewen Macgregor, Partner in the Licensing (England & Wales) team, based in Bristol. Read Ewen’s profile for more information about her areas of expertise and contact details. 

Piers Warne, Legal Director in the Licensing (England & Wales) team, based in Bristol. Read Piers’ profile for more information about her areas of expertise and contact details.