The 2003 Act allows the views of local people and businesses to be taken into account when someone applies for a licence or certificate to carry out a licensable activity such as selling alcohol, providing regulated entertainment and providing late night refreshment.
Are you an interested party?
To have your say, you must be an "Interested Party" for the premises concerned. This means you must be either:
- A person living in the vicinity of the premises
- A body (e.g. a residents association) representing people that live in that vicinity
- A person involved in a business in the vicinity of the premises
- A body (e.g. a trade association) representing people involved in businesses in the vicinity of the premises
Whether somebody lives or works "in the vicinity" of a premises is a matter that will be decided, in the first instance, by the relevant licensing authority (and where there are disputes, by the courts). In deciding this, licensing authorities may look at whether that party is likely to be affected by the grant of the licence application in respect of those premises. While licensing authorities may wish to give broad indications of where they consider the vicinity to be, each case must be considered on its own merits.
Interested parties have a number of rights under the Act. If they think granting a new, or changing an existing licence or certificate would undermine any of the licensing objectives, they can make representations to the relevant licensing authority. They can also ask the licensing authority to review a licence or certificate if problems occur which undermine the licensing objectives. The licensing objectives are:
- The prevention of crime and disorder
- Public safety
- The prevention of public nuisance
- The protection of children from harm
To help interested parties engage in the licensing process, DCMS has issued the following Guidance notes:
Contact details for your local authority can be found on the Directgov website.
