Applying for a Club Premises Certificate

This page concerns applications for Club Premises Certificates for qualifying clubs.

Clubs do not need a Personal Licence holder even if they intend to supply alcohol.

How long it takes

The Licensing Act 2003 gives the licensing authority up to two months to process applications for Club Premises Certificates. In most cases applications will take at least six weeks.

Club Premises Certificates become effective on the date requested on your application, or the date granted if later.

When to apply

You can apply for a new Club Premises Certificate at any time.

You should check carefully the time you will need to put your application together, as you will need to obtain plans of the premises.

What you need to send to us

Make sure you send us:

The fee payable depends on the Non-Domestic Rateable Value of the club premises. This can be found on the Valuation Office Agency website.

Discussing your draft application

We strongly advise you to discuss your draft application with the police (and other Responsible Authorities to suit your proposals) before sending the final version. Where official objections can be negotiated away, there is much less chance of needing to attend a hearing.

Advertising your application

You need to advertise your application both:

• once in a local newspaper within 14 days
• on a poster at the premises for at least 28 days

What you need to send to the police and other Responsible Authorities

Make sure you send a copy of everything on the list above to the police and the other Responsible Authorities, except the cheque in payment of the fee.

The other Responsible Authorities are:

• Thames Valley Police
• The Planning Authority
• Environmental Protection
• Health and Safety (but see note below)
• Fire and Rescue Service
• Social and Health Care
• Trading Standards

Contact details for all these bodies can be found by selecting the licensing contacts link at the foot of this page or from the right hand menu.

Please note that City and County Council premises and all educational institutions are dealt with by the Health and Safety Executive rather than Health and Safety at the City Council. Please make sure you copy your application to the appropriate authorities in these cases.

Useful documents

You may find this helpful in ensuring you have completed your application correctly.

Page last reviewed 16 Sep 2010