Licence Variation – Legal Fee Estimate
Sills & Betteridge are experienced in assisting clients with applications to vary a premises licence under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003. We offer a range of costs estimates depending on the level of service you require and the complexity of your application.
Basic application: £1150 – £2300 + VAT at 20% (based on 5-10 hours at an hourly rate of £230 + VAT at 20%):
This estimate covers non-contentious applications for small pub, restaurant and retail premises.
What’s Included? –
- Taking your instructions and advising you on how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application
- Advising you on the type of plans you are required to submit with your application.
- Completing the application form to vary a 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 notices to advertise the premises licence application and submitting a notice to the relevant local newspaper.
- Arranging with you to display the notice(s) advertising the premises licence application and advising on where and how this should be done by you 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.
Medium complexity: £2300 – £5750 + VAT at 20% (based on 10-25 hours at an hourly rate of £230 plus VAT at 20%):
What’s included? –
Everything provided with a basic application and the following additional assistance:
- Obtaining and submitting applications for personal licences.
- Obtaining Temporary Event Notices.
- Short notice application (less than 4 weeks)
- Assisting you to obtain premises plans.
- Where there is historical or on-going enforcement activity.
- Attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities.
- 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.
Complex application: £5750 – £11500 + VAT at 20% (based on 25-50 hours at an hourly rate of £230 plus VAT at 20%):
This estimate covers all other applications not covered by the basic and medium complexity fees including where there is a cumulative impact zone and large scale events.
Disbursements:
In addition to legal fees there are several fees which require to be paid to third parties as party of the application process.
The following paragraphs explain the typical disbursements associated with a premises variation.
Licence Application Fee
This fee is based on the rateable value of the premises which is the subject of the application. We will assist you to determine the appropriate fee. Please note that there is an annual renewal fee for each year that the licence is required.
| Band | A | B | C | D | E |
| Non-domestic rateable value | None to £4,300 | £4,301 to £33,000 | £33,001 to £87,000 | £87,001 to £125,000 | £125,001+ |
| New application fees | £100 | £190 | £315 | £450 | £635 |
| Multiplier applied to premises used exclusively or primarily for the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises (Bands D & E only) | N/A | N/A | N/A | X2 (£900) | X3 (£1,905) |
| Annual charge |
£70 |
£180 | £295 | £320 | £350 |
| Annual charge multiplier applied to premises used exclusively or primarily for the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises (Bands D&E only) | N/A | N/A | N/A | X2 (£640) | X3 (£1,050) |
Advertising fee*
The advertising is set by the local newspapers in which the notice requires to be published. Fees vary depending on the length of notice. Fees can range from £200 – £500 + VAT at 20% in some instances the fee may be greater.
Enquiry agent fees*
An enquiry agent can be instructed to post public notices should you be unable to do this yourself. Fees will vary depending on the location of the premises. The fees may range from £100 to £300 + VAT at 20%.
Special delivery fee*
We aim to serve the application electronically. If a paper copy of the application requires to be submitted, we will send this special delivery. Our estimated fee for special delivery is £10 + VAT at 20%.
*These fees vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located. The fees can on occasion be higher than the ranges given above. We will give you an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so.
Our fee estimates do not include:
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 my application take?
In simple applications we usually require between 2 and 3 weeks from your initial contact to submitting the application. Once the application is submitted there is a 28-day consultation period. This time estimate is calculated on the basis that the application is straight forward, and you can 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 your documents, the application process may take longer.
Meet The Team
Licence Variation matters are handled by Matthew Tye. His supervisor is Christopher Hogg.
