Licensing & Local Authority Consents
Licensing & Local Authority Consents address operational approvals required for certain commercial uses. This includes preparation of documentation and layouts for Premises Licences, Late Night Refreshment Licences, and Pavement Licences. Licensing-led layout drawings are developed to align the design with local authority licensing requirements and operational regulations.
Premises Licence
For restaurants, cafés, bars, shops, takeaways, and commercial premises requiring formal licensing consent.
Complete licence support for food, drink, retail and hospitality premises, including the documents required for council review.
Late Night Refreshment Licence
Supporting applications for venues open late, including risk assessments, layouts and operational details.
Application support for businesses serving hot food or drink late at night, with layouts and operational details clearly prepared.
Pavement Licence
Layouts and documentation for outdoor seating and street furniture in line with council requirements.
Clear drawings and documentation for outdoor seating, tables, chairs and street furniture in front of your premises.
Licensing-led Layout Drawings
Accurate, measured and compliant drawings that show how your premises will operate.
Measured plans showing customer areas, counters, seating, access, safety points and how the premises will operate.
Because a strong licence application is not just about permission — it is about proving your premises can operate responsibly, safely and professionally from day one.
Licensing Support Designed Around Real-World Operations
Coordination with Licensing Requirements
We align your design with local authority policies, planning conditions, public safety standards and operational regulations—helping you avoid delays and ensure a smooth approval process.
Local Authority Policies & Guidance
Public Safety & Access Compliance
Risk Assessments & Operational Considerations
Conditions & Ongoing Compliance Support
Questions we
are often asked
Yes — carrying out a licensable activity without a valid licence in place is a criminal offence under the Licensing Act 2003, carrying an unlimited fine and up to six months' imprisonment. A pending application does not authorise trading. The licence must be formally granted and in your possession before any licensable activity begins.
Under the Licensing Act 2003, every decision a licensing authority makes must be taken with a view to promoting four objectives: prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; prevention of public nuisance; and protection of children from harm. Your operating schedule must demonstrate how your proposed operation addresses each of them. Vague or generic wording invites conditions — or objections — from responsible authorities including the police and environmental health.
A Temporary Event Notice (TEN) permits licensable activities at premises for up to 168 hours per event, with a maximum of 15 TENs per premises per calendar year and attendance capped at 499 people. They are appropriate for one-off or short-run events but are not a substitute for a Premises Licence if you intend to operate regularly. TENs must be submitted to the licensing authority and the police at least 10 working days before the event (3 working days for a late TEN, which carries greater risk of objection).
Yes. The application must be accompanied by a plan showing the highway boundary, the area proposed for furniture, the dimensions of that area, and the location of any existing street furniture, access points, or obstructions. The plan must demonstrate that an unobstructed footway of at least 1.5 metres (and in many authorities, 1.8 metres) is maintained for pedestrian access. Authorities are entitled to refuse applications where the plan is insufficient, and there is no obligation on them to seek revisions before doing so.
Not directly. Planning drawings rarely include the fire escape routes, CCTV positions, dispersal routes, and internal zoning detail that licensing authorities require. A planning floor plan may serve as the base, but it must be redrawn and annotated to meet the licensing-specific specification. Submitting a planning drawing as a licence plan is one of the most common causes of application rejection.
Two groups can make representations. Responsible authorities — including the police, environmental health, the fire authority, and the local planning authority — may object on any of the four licensing objectives. Interested parties — residents or businesses in the vicinity — may also object, but only on grounds relating to the four objectives as they affect them. Objections received during the 28-day consultation period trigger a hearing before the licensing sub-committee, which has the power to grant, modify, or refuse the application.
PLANEST guided us clearly through who could object to our licensing application and helped structure the submission around the four licensing objectives, which gave us much more confidence before the consultation period began
Private commercial client, Gateshead
You may also like...
Building Regulations Submissions
Technical compliance submissions required to demonstrate that proposed works meet Building Regulations and statutory construction standards.
Planning Applications
Preparation and coordination of planning applications, including Full Planning, Prior Approval, LDCs, and Change of Use proposals, in line with policy and statutory requirements.