Apply for a new premises licence

You may need a premises licence if you wish to:

sell alcohol
provide regulated entertainment
provide hot food and drink between 11pm and 5am.

To apply for a premises licence you will need to do the following:

Read our Statement of Licensing Policy and our applicant and licence holder guidance – the latter gives examples of the types of conditions you may wish to include in your application.
Complete a premises licence application form – we strongly recommend you submit a draft copy of your application to our Licensing Team so they can check it before you make a formal application.
Complete a consent form – this must be signed by the individual who will be the Designated Premises Supervisor (you only need to provide this if your application includes the sale of alcohol).
Ensure you have a plan of your premises as detailed in our applicant and licence holder guidance.
Check which fee band your premises falls within – please see ‘How much you need to pay’
Once you have completed the form(s), you can submit them with the plan via our Online Applications Portal using the relevant link (please take care to select the correct fee band for your premises):

Alternatively, you can email the completed application and supporting documents to licensing.unit@whitehorsedc.gov.uk. We will then contact you by telephone to collect payment. Please note that the application is not complete until payment has been taken.

If you do not have access to email, you can post your application with the fee to Licensing Team, Vale of White Horse District Council at the below address. Please remember if you decide to post in your application, you must also post a copy to each of the responsible authorities.

Finally, you need to advertise your application. You can find more advice on this in our applicant and licence holder guidance.

For details on how we use data relating to licence holders and applicants, please see our privacy notice for licence holders and applicants.

How long will it take to process my application?

Once we’ve checked your application form, responsible authorities and interested parties have 28 days to make any representations.

If we don’t receive any comments, we aim to issue your licence within ten working days of the closing date.

If we receive any valid representations, we will hold a hearing within 28 days after the closing date to determine your application.

We will let you know as soon as we have made a decision.

In the meantime you may wish to ensure you have an up to date fire risk assessment.

Appeal

If you wish, you can appeal against a decision we have made, for instance if we:

refuse to grant or vary a premises licence,
we apply a condition on the licence.

You should appeal to your local magistrates’ court within 21 days of receiving notice of the decision.

Apply for a provisional statement

Before you apply for a provisional statement, we would suggest you read our Statement of Licensing Policy and our applicant and licence holder guidance.

To apply, you will need to submit the following documents:

A completed application for a provisional statement. We would suggest you submit a draft copy of your application to the licensing team before making a formal application.
Plans of the works to be done at the premises in accordance with our applicant and licence holder guidance.
The fee of £315.

You can submit the application and plan via our Online Applications Portal

Finally, you need to advertise your application. You can find more advice on this in our applicant and licence holder guidance.