Premises licences

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  • Right to work in UK

    From 6 April 2017 if you are applying for a premises licence you must have the right to work in the UK. Evidence of this must be supplied with the application. If you fail to provide then necessary evidence we will have to reject your application. Please read the guidance notes for entitlement to work for individual applicants.

    To provide late-night refreshments and regulated entertainment, and sell alcohol, you need a licence from us.

  • Business and Planning Act 2020 Temporary Off-Sales Extension

    The provisions in the Act temporarily modify the Licensing Act 2003 to provide an automatic extension to the terms of most premises licences which only permit the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises to allow the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises.

    The new off-sales permission will permit off-sales to be made at a time when the licensed premises are open for the purposes of selling alcohol for consumption on the premises, subject to a cut off time of 11pm or the closure time of an existing outside area, whichever is earlier.

    Measures also temporarily suspend existing licence conditions on premises already licensed for both on and off sales of alcohol which restrict off sales to an earlier closing time than the permitted hours for on-sales, prevent off sales of alcohol in an open container, or prevent off sales by way of deliveries to buildings used for residential or work purposes.

    Please read the guidance on the new temporary off-sales permissions. You should notify Hammersmith & Fulham Council of your intention to start making off-sales at licensing@lbhf.gov.uk. You also need to prepare a statement under the new permission. If you are making use of the new temporary permission for off-sales, you must prepare a statement which must be clear that off-sales are authorised under section 172F(2), subject to the requirement that the premises must be open for the sale of alcohol on the premises. If you have a premises already licenced for on and off sales and are relying on any of the temporary conditions in section 172F(5), the statement must also list them. You can download and print out these templates for your statement.

    The statement must be kept on the premises or under the control of the licence holder or a person who works at the premises who has been nominated by the holder of the licence for this purpose. A copy of the section 172F statement must be prominently displayed at the premises alongside the summary of your premises licence.

  • Alcohol Wholesalers Registration Scheme

    On 1 April 2017 it became a requirement that anyone purchasing alcohol wholesale is required to check that the wholesaler they are buying from is approved on the Alcohol Wholesaler’s Registration Scheme (AWRS) operated by HM Revenue and Customs. The following leaflet gives giving further details about the scheme.

    You can check your UK wholesaler is AWRS approved by using the alcohol wholesalers register online. You will need your wholesalers unique reference number (URN), which should be displayed on their invoice. Speak to your wholesaler if you can’t find their URN. Once you find your wholesaler on the register, keep a record of your check by printing off or saving the page to confirm that they are approved. HMRC may ask you for those details at a later date.

    If you are unable to find your wholesaler on the register, tell them that they need to contact HMRC for approval. You should not buy alcohol from them and should notify HMRC by searching for Customs, Excise and VAT fraud reporting on GOV.UK. Any business found buying alcohol from a non-registered UK wholesaler could have their alcohol stock seized, be fined or even prosecuted. Further guidance is also available on the GOV.UK website.

  • Exempt entertainment

    Certain types of entertainment have now been de-regulated where specific criteria are met and where the entertainment takes place between the hours of 8am and 11pm. For more information please see the Regulated Entertainment Deregulation details below or contact the licensing team for further advice if you are unsure whether you need a licence for entertainment.

    Regulated Entertainment Deregulation (pdf 61KB)

Pre-application advice service

We offer a pre-application advice service to support your licensing application made under the Licensing Act 2003. The aim is to help you to mitigate any problems which may arise during the application process. However, our advice cannot prejudge the outcome of the licensing application, especially if representations are received and a hearing takes place before the Licensing Sub-Committee. For further details and a request form please see licensing pre-application advice.

Eligibility criteria

Any of the following may apply for a premises licence:

  • anyone who carries on a business in the premises to which the application relates
  • a recognised club
  • a charity
  • a health service body
  • a person who is registered under the Care Standards Act 2000 in relation to an independent hospital
  • a chief police officer of a force in England and Wales
  • anyone discharging a statutory duty or function under Her Majesty's prerogative
  • a person from an educational institute
  • any other permitted person.

Applicants must not be under 18 years of age.

Licensing Act 2003 Regulations

View a summary of the regulations about this licence on GOV.UK.

Application evaluation process

Applications must be in a specific format and be accompanied by the required fee, plans (if applicable) and any other relevant information. Please see the schedule of fees for further details. Application fees are non-refundable in the event that an application is withdrawn or rejected.

If your application is for the grant of a new licence, or the variation of an existing licence, you will also need to provide an operating schedule which is included within the application form.

An operating schedule will include details of:

  • the licensable activities
  • the times when the activities will take place
  • any other times when the premises will be open to the public
  • in the case of applicants who wish to have a limited licence, the period the licence is required for
  • information in respect of the premises supervisor
  • whether any alcohol that is to be sold is for consumption on or of the premises or both
  • the steps proposed to be taken to promote the licensing objectives
  • any other required information.

Applicants may be required to advertise their application and to give notice of the application to any other person or responsible body, for example to us, the chief police officer or Fire and Rescue Authority. Please see the guidance notes below for further details of the advertising and notification requirements for particular applications and templates for the public notices.

If no representations are received the licensing authority must grant the application, which can be subject to conditions. A hearing must be held if any representations are made in respect of the application. If a hearing is held the licence can be granted or granted subject to additional conditions, licensable activities listed in the application can be excluded, or the application can be rejected.

The licensing authority will serve a notice of its decision on the applicant, any person who has made relevant representations (i.e. representations that were not deemed frivolous or vexatious) and the chief of police.

Other applications that can be made are applications for transfer, or an interim authority notice following the death, incapacity or insolvency of a licence holder or for the review of a licence.

Will tacit consent apply?

Yes – If the application is made online and is unopposed at the end of the consultation period* This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority by the end of the target completion period. Our target completion periods for Licensing Act 2003 premises licence applications are listed below:

  • new, provisional and full variation applications - 40 days
  • all other application types* - 30 days

*Minor variation applications cannot be given tacit authorisation as by law they are automatically refused if the authority has not determined the application after 15 working days from receipt.

Apply online

Apply by post

At present we encourage all applicants to make electronic applications, please contact the Licensing Team on 020 87531081 or licensing@lbhf.gov.uk if you need assistance.

Guidance notes, notices and fees

Failed application redress

If an application for a licence is refused you can appeal to Westminster Magistrates' Court, 181 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5BR within 21 days of notice of the decision.

Licence holder redress

You can appeal against any conditions attached to a licence, a decision to reject a variation application, a decision to reject a transfer application or a decision to exclude an activity or person as premises supervisor.

Appeals must be made to Westminster Magistrates' Court, 181 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5BR within 21 days of notice of the decision.

Other redress

A responsible authority or any other person who is affected by the premises may make representations in relation to an application for a provisional statement, or for the grant, variation or review of a licence.

Any person or responsible authority who has made relevant representations may appeal against the granting of a licence or against any condition, variation or licensable activity decisions.

Appeals must be made to Westminster Magistrates' Court, 181 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5BR within 21 days of notice of the decision.

The chief police officer for the police area where the premises are located may make representations against any application for a provisional statement, or for the grant, variation or review of a licence. He can give notice to the authority if he believes that the transfer of a licence, or the variation of the designated premises supervisor, or the re-instatement of a licence by way of an interim authority notice, would undermine the crime prevention objective.

The chief police officer also has powers to review a premises licence where a premises is associated with either serious crime or disorder or both.

Guidance for residents making a representation

Guidance for residents making a representation

Trade associations

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