Our Prices – Legal Advice for Employees and Employers – DGB Solicitors Kent

Price Information: Licensing

Our typical fees for preparing and dealing with an application for a new premises licence would be in the region of £1,000 to £1,500 (excluding VAT) and our fees for dealing with an application for a variation to an existing premises licence would be in the region of £500 to £1,250 (excluding VAT). You should be aware that an application can be for a “minor” variation, which will generally be less complicated and will not need to be advertised, or a “major” variation, which will be more complex and will need to be advertised.

In addition, there will be various disbursements which need to be paid. Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, for example application fees and fees to advertise your application in a local newspaper. We will pay the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The typical disbursements to be incurred in an application for a new premises licence (with estimates of the amounts) will be as follows:

  • Application fee for new licence or variation application (payable to the licensing authority): £100 – £635 (the exact amount depends on the rateable value of the premises concerned).
  • Advertising fees (payable for a new premises licence application or a major variation application): £265 plus VAT
  • Special delivery fee to serve the applications on necessary parties: £30.00 plus VAT

The application fee and advertising fees can vary depending upon the nature of the premises and where it is located. We will provide you with an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so in relation to your particular application.

The fees above include:

  • Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application.
  • Advising you as to the type of plans that are required to be submitted with your application.
  • Completing the application form for a new premises licence (including the operating schedule) or variation application in accordance with your instructions and submitting this to the local licensing authority alongside suitable plans.  You must provide the suitable plans.
  • Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the licensing authority.
  • Preparing copies of the application for disclosure to the responsible authorities and serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities as necessary.
  • Drafting the notices necessary to advertise the premises licence application and submitting the notice to the local newspaper.
  • Arranging with you for you to display the notices 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 licence once it has been granted/amended and correcting any errors with the licensing authority.

Please note that the fees above do not include:

  • Obtaining suitable plans.
  • Attending pre-consultation meetings with the licensing authority or responsible authorities, nor any fee they may charge for those meetings.
  • Dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representations received from either the responsibility authorities or other interested parties.
  • Advising on varying the licence after the application has been dealt with.
  • Attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee hearing of the responsible authority. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a licensee sub-committee is required then we will provide a separate fee estimate for this work which will be charged at our hourly rate.

How long will my application take?

It will usually take around 2 to 3 weeks from receipt of full instructions from you to prepare and lodge your application. This is on the basis of the application being relatively straightforward and you being able to provide all of the necessary documents promptly. If the 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.

The licensing authorities seek to determine applications (in the absence of objections from relevant parties) within 4 weeks from receipt of the application.