Premises licence

The sale by retail of alcohol, the provision of regulated entertainment and the provision of late night refreshments requires a premises licence.

 A licence is required for the following premises:

• pubs and night-clubs
• off licences and shops selling alcohol
• restaurants serving alcohol
• businesses selling hot food and drinks from 11pm to 5am
• hotels, guest houses and other places that sell alcohol
• theatres and amateur dramatic clubs
• cinemas
• venues with indoor sporting events
• temporary entertainment of music or dancing or where alcohol is sold.
• charities, a proprietor of educational establishments, health service bodies and a chief officer of police can also apply for a premises licence.

What fee do I pay? 

You need to know the business rate for your premises, otherwise you cannot calculate the correct fee.

Licensing Act fees are set be central government. 

Online payments can be made on the payment page.

Alternatively, you can a make payment by telephone on 01952 381818.

 What information do I need to put on the application form?

• Complete the premises licence application form.
• Don’t forget to fill in the operating schedule-make clear licensable activities and any limitations.
• Detail how you will ensure compliance with the four licensing objectives. All the responsible authorities will look at this and you should discuss any problems with them before you make an application.
• You must nominate a premises supervisor if you are selling alcohol. This person must hold a personal licence by the time that you want to supply alcohol on the second appointed day. They must sign a DPS licensing consent form.
• Don’t forget to (all) sign the application form where required.

You are also normally expected to have planning permission for your proposal, so we suggest you speak to our planning colleagues if you are at all unsure on this point.

For the licensing authority you must enclose the correct fee. Refer again to our fee table.

For both the licensing authority and all the responsible authorities you need to send a plan of the premises. 

Plans, for written and electronic applications, will not be required to be submitted in any particular scale, but they must be in a format which is “clear and legible in all material respects”, i.e. they must be accessible and provides sufficient detail for the licensing authority to be able to determine the application, including the relative size of any features relevant to the application.

There is no requirement for plans to be professionally drawn as long as they clearly show all the prescribed information. We would request the scale of 1:100.

The plan must show the following:

• the extent of the boundary of the building
• external and internal walls of the building if relevant
• if different from above, the perimeter of the premises
• the positions of access to and egress from the premises including escape routes
• if the premises is used for more than one existing licensable activity, the area within the premises used for each activity
• in a case where an existing licensable activity relates to the supply of alcohol, the location or locations on the premises used for each activity
• fixed structures (including furniture) or similar objects temporarily in a fixed location (but not furniture) which may impact on the ability of individuals on the premises to use exits or escape routes without impediment
• where a stage or raised area exists, the location of the steps, stairs, elevator or lifts
• in a case where the premises includes any room or rooms containing public conveniences, the location of the room(s)
• the location and type of any fire safety and any other safety equipment
• the location of a kitchen, if any, on the premises
• the plan may include a legend through which the matters mentioned or referred to above are sufficiently illustrated by the use of symbols on the plan.

Where do I send the application forms? 

To the Licensing Authority and all Responsible authorities (.pdf Size: 111Kb) .

Do I need to do anything else apart from completing the form?

Yes, you must advertise the application.

You need to display a notice for not less than 28 consecutive days, starting on the day after the application was given to the licensing authority.

You must also publish a notice on at least one occasion in a local newspaper, during the period of ten working days starting on the day after the application was given to the relevant licensing authority.

The newspaper advert can be any size or colour but must be readable. Please be advised that if your application has errors then this can lead to having to re-advertise both on the notice and the newspaper. 

The notice must be prominently displayed at the premises to which it relates, where it can be conveniently read from the exterior of the premises. In the case of a premises that cover an area of more than 50 metres square, a further similar notice must be displayed every 50 metres along the external premises highway.

The Notice must be printed on pale blue paper and:

• equal  to or larger than A4
• pale blue in colour
• printed legibly in black ink or typed in black in a font of a size at least equal to size16
• Briefly describe the proposed application / variation - e.g. the sale of alcohol, and/or regulated entertainment and/or late night refreshment, with hours specified, that is, Monday to Sunday from11am to 11pm. If there are non-standard hours, such as Bank Holidays, then this should be briefly mentioned. The hours the premises are open to the public are not required to be shown. Where the variation is not for the hours then briefly explain what the variation is for. If you are removing an existing licence condition then briefly describe the condition.
• the name of the applicant
• the postal address of the premises
• Our address, where the register is kept and when the record of the application can be viewed from , Monday to Friday(during normal office hours)

Licensing Team
Granville House
St Georges Road
Donnington
Telford
TF2 7RA

Once the consultation period for your application has ended you need take down and correctly dispose of all public notices relating to it.

Evaluation process

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.

Applications can also be made to vary or transfer a licence. Again, a hearing may have to be heard if representations are made.

We must approve your application before the licence is granted.

Variation of Premises Licence

The procedure to vary the premises licence is the same as a new premises licence, however the forms are different:

• Premises variation licensing application form
• Vary premises public notice (contact the Licensing Authority). 

There is a separate application to vary a premises licence to specify the designated premises supervisor.

 Transfer of Premises Licence

• Transfer premises licensing application form 
• Consent of premises licence holder to transfer licensing application form

The fee is £23.

Online payments can be made on the payments page.

Alternatively you can a make payment by telephone on 01952 381818.

A transfer can only take place if the licence is still active. If the previous licence holder has become insolvent or dissolved, please check when this occurred. On most occasions the licence can only be transferred within 28 days of either;

Individual

• the approval of a voluntary arrangement proposed by him,
• being adjudged bankrupt or having his estate sequestrated, or
• entering into a deed of arrangement made for the benefit of his creditors or a trust deed for his creditors.

Company

• the approval of a voluntary arrangement proposed by its directors,
• the appointment of an administrator in respect of the company,
• the appointment of an administrative receiver in respect of the company, or
• going into liquidation.

What information do I need to include with the application form?

• The consent form signed by the existing premises licence holder or a statement as to why it is not enclosed
• The premises licence, or the relevant part of it or an explanation

Public registers or databases

Contact the Public Protection team for details on the public register using information below.

Regulation summary

View the Telford & Wrekin Council Statement of Licensing Policy

Last updated : 21 March 2025

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 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. 

Individuals applying for a premises licence for the sale of alcohol or late night refreshment must be entitled to work in the UK. An application made by an individual who does not have the right to work in the UK will be be rejected. This does not include applications which apply to regulated entertainment only. 

Visit the GOV.UK website to view acceptable right to work documents for the UK

Where an applicant's right to work in the UK is time-limited, a premises licence may be issued for an indefinite period but the licence will become invalid when the right to work expires.

Where there is sufficient evidence that the applicant is not resident in the UK there is no requirement that the applicant have an entitlement to work in the UK.

Last updated : 22 July 2024

What we will do with your Personal Information
Telford & Wrekin Council’s Licensing Service is collecting your personal information for the purpose of meeting the statutory requirement of the Licensing Act 2003.

Telford & Wrekin Council will not share any of your personal data collected with external organisations unless required to do so by law when your data may be shared with other regulatory bodies.

View our privacy notice for further details on the Council’s privacy arrangements.

Please use our online forms.

Last updated : 17 September 2024