Introduction

As part of our professional rules, we aim to ensure that anyone using our services has the information they need to make an informed choice of legal services provider, including understanding what the costs may be.

Why instruct Peter Dunn Solicitors?

From our offices in Sunderland and Seaham, Peter Dunn Solicitors can provide expert advice to businesses across the region.

We can represent clients as follows:-

• Application for a premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003.
• Applications to vary a premises licence under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Our Licensing Team

Joy Geggie

Anticipated Charges and Expenses

Our charges for licensing advice and applications are based upon time spent at our hourly rates.

For example, a straight forward application for a new Premises Licence would costs between £960.00 and £1,440.00 including VAT

Disbursements

In addition a fee is payable to the Licensing Department of the Council based upon a scale determined by the rateable value of the property which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-licensing-fee-levels (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-licensing-fee-levels/main-fee-levels)

Fees will be payable for advertising at the premises and in local newspapers and are likely to be approximately £450.00.

Fee includes:

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

The fee does not include:

• obtaining suitable plans
• attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing 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 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 charged at an hourly rate.

How long will this take?

Matters usually take 30 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.

Updated: January 2021