Club premises certificates

A club is an organisation that members have joined for a particular social, sporting or political purpose. They may, as members of the organisation, combine to buy alcohol in bulk to supply in the club.

Only a qualifying club may hold a club premises certificate and in order to qualify a club must have at least 25 registered members.

By having a club premises certificate, the club is entitled to certain benefits, which are:

• The authority to supply alcohol to members and sell it to guests on the premises without the need for anybody to hold a personal licence.
• The authority to provide late-night refreshment to members of the club.
• Limited rights of entry for the police and authorised persons as the premise is considered private property and not generally open to members of the public.
• Exemption from orders of the magistrates' court for the closure of all licensed premises in an area when disorder is happening or expected.

• Statement of Licensing Policy 2019-2024 (PDF) [780KB] (opens new window)
• Licensing Act 2003
• How to find the non domestic rateable value of your premises
• Cumulative Impact Assessment (PDF) [9MB]

Change of club rules or details

If you would like to make a change to the details on your club premises certificate or the clubs rules, you will need to inform of of this change by email.

Special occasions involving club members

There is no restriction on the number of occasions that your club premises can be used for a special occasion involving club members and the guests of members (and associate members and the guests of associate members) provided that you remain a club 'in good faith' such as supplying to members, associate members and guests and not to the general public.                    

If you wish to sell alcohol to non guests or permit the general public to use the facilities of the club then you will need to serve a temporary event notice, although certain restrictions will apply.                    

If you wish to do this on more than 12 occasions you will have to apply for a premises licence.

Important: some areas of the town centre are subject to a Cumulative Impact Assessment (PDF) [9MB]  (CIA) so applicants are advised to check before making an application. The areas of the town centre that are covered by the CIA can be viewed here. (PDF) [2MB]  The current CIA came into effect from 12 July 2023.

Pre-consultation is strongly advised with all responsible authorities, prior to submission of an application.

You are also advised to contact us before submitting an application to discuss your proposals and the relevant responsible authorities.

To apply for a premises licence, you will need to complete the online application form. Once you have completed the application form, you will need to upload the following required documentation:

• A plan of the premises. The plan of your premises should be drawn to the standard scale of 1:100 with a key to show:
  1. The boundary of the building with any external or internal walls, entrances and exits to the building
  2. The location of points of access to and egress from the premises
  3. If different from point 2 above, the location of escape routes from the premises
  4. In a case where the premises is used for more than one existing licensable activity, the area within the premises used for each activity
  5. In a case where an existing licensable activity relates to the supply of alcohol, the location or locations on the premises which is or are used for the consumption of alcohol
  6. Fixed structures (including furniture) or similar objects temporarily in a fixed location (but not furniture) which may impact on the ability of individuals on the premises to use exits or escape routes without impediment
  7. In a case where the premises includes a stage or raised area, the location and height of each stage or area relative to the floor
  8. In a case where the premises includes any steps, stairs, elevators or lifts, the location of the steps, stairs, elevators or lifts
  9. In a case where the premises includes any room or rooms containing toilets or urinals, the location of the room or rooms
  10. The location and type of any fire safety and any other safety equipment
  11. The location of a kitchen, if any, on the premises.
• Contact details form (PDF) [203KB] (opens new window) , to assist us in contacting a representative of the premises.
• A copy of the club's rules.
• Declaration form (PDF) [459KB] (opens new window) .

Displaying of the public notice

For a period of not less than 28 days, starting the day after we have accepted your application, you must display a notice which is:

• At least A4 in size
• Pale blue in colour
• Printed legibly or typed in black ink in a font equal to or larger than 16
• In a prominent position on the premises where it can be conveniently read from the outside by passers-by.

The public notice will need to contain the following information:

• The name of the applicant
• The postal address of the premises (if there is no postal address, a description of the location sufficient to identify the premises)
• The postal address and, where applicable, the web address where the application may be inspected
• A brief description of the application
• The date by which an interested party or responsible authority may make representation (within the 28 days from the day after the day we accept the application)
• That it is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application, and the maximum fine for which a person could be liable on summary conviction for the offence (scale 5 on the standard scale, which is currently £5,000)

If you are applying for a new premises licence, the public notice must state the relevant licensable activities which have been proposed to be carried out.

Advertising the application in a local newspaper

You are also required to publish a notice containing the same information as your public notice in a local newspaper (the current local newspaper is the St Helens Star). You will need to ensure that the notice is published at least once during the period of 10 working days starting on the day after we accept your application.

You will need to wait for a notice period of 28 days when you advertise your application. If no comments or objections are received in this time, the licence will automatically be granted.

If your application receives comments, it will be decided at a licensing sub-committee.

The fee for the application will be taken online once the application form has been completed and the relevant documentation has been uploaded (please note that the fee payable depends on the non-domestic rateable value of the premises. You can find out your premises' non-domestic rateable value on the Valuation Office Agency website).

Please note: any fee payable is to accompany an application. If for any reason your application cannot be accepted and must be rejected, any fees paid are non refundable.

* A multiplier is added to band D and E premises that are used exclusively or primarily for the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises.

For band D premises, a 2x multiplier is added to the application fee and annual charge. This would mean an application fee of £900 and an annual charge of £640.

For band E premises, a 3x multiplier is added to the application fee and annual charge. This would mean an application fee of £1,905 and an annual charge of £1,050.
 

Exemptions

There is an exemption from the payment of fees in relation to the provision of regulated entertainment at church halls, chapel halls or premises of a similar nature, village halls, parish or community halls, or other premises of a similar nature. The costs associated with these licences will be met by central government. If, however, the licence also authorises the use of the premises for the supply of alcohol or the provision of late-night refreshment, a fee will be required for those activities.

Schools and sixth form colleges are also exempt from the fees associated with the authorisation of regulated entertainment where the entertainment is provided by and at the school or college and for the purposes of the school or college.
 

Apply for a new club premises certificate. This form will take 30 minutes to complete.

CAUTION - if you are not experienced in the submission of licence applications, you may wish to consider contacting a licensing solicitor or licensing agent to carry out this work on your behalf. If applications are submitted incorrectly or are not of the required standard, they may be rejected and you will lose your fee.  Please note that the licensing authority are only able to provide basic guidance, which is published on our web pages.

Please ensure that you check your application and supporting documents before you submit it, as no refunds will be issued for incorrect submissions.

Club premises certificates do not expire; however you will need to pay an annual fee each year for the licence.

Please refer to the table of fees below for the cost of the annual fee.

* A multiplier is added to band D and E premises that are used exclusively or primarily for the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises.

For band D premises, a 2x multiplier is added to the application fee and annual charge. This would mean an application fee of £900 and an annual charge of £640.

For band E premises, a 3x multiplier is added to the application fee and annual charge. This would mean an application fee of £1,905 and an annual charge of £1,050.

Consequences of failing to pay the annual fee

The Licensing Act 2003 requires us to suspend a premises licence/club premises certificate if the holder fails to pay the annual fee when it is due. A licence/certificate that has been suspended does not have effect to authorise licensable activities. The suspension will only be lifted when the licensing authority receives payment of the outstanding fee.

If you believe there has been an administrative error, or you dispute liability for the fee, you must notify us on or before the date the annual fee is due. This will allow a 21-day grace period to give both us and you the opportunity to resolve the dispute.

Legally, the fee is owed by the premises licence/club certificate holder who held the licence/certificate at the time it was suspended. If you no longer wish to hold a licence/certificate, it is therefore important you surrender the licence/certificate before the date the fee is due, using the notice available on our website.