Guidance for the General Public
The Act and the Guidance both emphasise that a major criteria in the legislation is, according to "Foreword by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport" in the Guidance:
"The necessary protection of local residents, whose lives can be blighted by disturbance and anti-social behaviour associated with the behaviour of some people visiting places of entertainment. Through the legislation, we hope that local people and visitors to this country will have better opportunities to enjoy their leisure time safely while on, or arriving at or leaving a huge range of venues".
Premises may apply for a new licence and existing licensed premises may apply to vary (for example, to open for longer hours) their licence(s). All applications will be advertised by various means including by a notice on the premises and an advertisement in a local newspaper. A list of current applications will also be posted on this website (but please note that this is not definitive).
If an application relates to a premises in the vicinity of your home or your business you may be an interested party defined as:
- A person living in the vicinity of the premises in question
- A body representing persons living in that vicinity, for example, a residents’ association
- A person involved in a business in the vicinity of the premises in question
- A body representing persons involved in such businesses, for example, a trade association
An interested party may wish to make a representation to the council as the Licensing Authority. This must be made in writing and forwarded to the Licensing Authority. Representations must be based on the promotion of one or more of the licensing objectives and must include why/how you are affected by the proposed application and how this relates to the licensing objectives. Where there is a relevant representation that cannot be resolved by negotiation it may be necessary to hold a hearing.
Additionally, at any stage, following the grant of a Premises Licence, a responsible authority such as the police or the fire authority, or an interested party, such as a resident in the vicinity of the premises, may apply to Lancaster City Council to review the licence if there are grounds relating to the licensing objectives.
More information can be found on the Fact Sheet 7 (Notes For Interested Parties) and the Policy and Procedure for Hearings.