Minor Variations - Licensing Act 2003
The minor variations process allows for small alterations to be made to a premises licence or club premises certificate without having to notify responsible authorities or advertise in a newspaper - this makes the process simpler and quicker.
What type of applications can be made under this process?
There are four main types of minor variation:
- minor changes to the structure or layout of premises
- small adjustments to licensing hours
- removal of out of date, irrelevant or unenforceable conditions
- adding certain licensable activities, including live music
How can I apply for a minor variation?
You can apply for a minor variation using the form below. You must also advertise your application on a white A4 sized notice at the premises – the notice should contain a brief description of the proposed variation, the name of the applicant or club, the address of the premises and the date by which any interested party should make representations. You don’t need to advertise the application in a local newspaper or send copies of your application to the responsible authorities.
You can volunteer conditions as part of the process, whether from your own risk assessment or from informal discussions with us or one of the responsible authorities.
What will it cost?
The cost for a minor variation is a one-off fee of £89 - there are no exemptions to this fee. Your normal annual premises licence/club premises certificate fees are unaffected and will usually still fall due on 24 November.
Will Responsible Authorities be involved?
You do not need to notify responsible authorities of your application, we will contact them if we need their specialist advice. We will take their views into account in reaching our decision.
Can ‘Interested Parties’ comment on my application?
Yes, interested parties (usually local residents or businesses) can make representations to us within 10 working days of your application being received (more details below), we will take them into account when making our decision.
How long will my application take to be considered?
We have 15 working days to decide your application, day one is the first working day after we receive your application.
The first 10 working days are a consultation period where we can accept representations for interested parties and discuss your application with responsible authorities if we need to. We will make our decision during the remaining 5 working days. If we have not been able to reach a decision within this time your application will be deemed refused and we will return your fee to you.
If we reject your application within the 15 working day period we will keep the application fee.
What will you take into account?
The key test is whether the variation could impact adversely on any of the four licensing objectives. We will consider any representations made by responsible authorities or interested parties when we make our decision. Your application will be determined by our Licensing Officers, there are no hearings held as part of this process.
Will you impose any special conditions?
Our Licensing Officers have no power to impose conditions, only conditions volunteered by you as part of your application can be added to the licence under the minor variations procedure.
How will I find out if my application has been accepted?
We will let you know if we have granted your minor variation application and will tell you the date and time that it will come into effect. We will issue you with a new licence or summary to reflect the changes that have been made.
If we reject your application we will let you know and give you the reasons why we refused it. You can then make a revised minor variation application or apply for a full variation. The refused application will not adversely affect the outcome of any other variation application you may make for the same premises.
Any questions?
If you have any other questions about the Minor Variations application process, please contact the Licensing team, details are below.
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