Apply for a premises licences

A premises licence is required for any business wishing to provide certain licensable activities such as supplying alcohol, or entertainment, or late night refreshment, on or off the premises.

How to apply

Important: Certain areas of St Helens Town Centre are covered by a Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) (PDF) [9MB] . Applicants are advised to consult with the Licensing Authority and all responsible authorities to discuss your proposals prior to the submission of your application.

To apply for a premises licence you will need to complete:

• The online premises licence application form

Before you submit your application, you must also provide the following supporting documentation:

• A plan of the premises (if your application is to change the premises layout). Your plan must detail each point under regulation 23 of the The Licensing Act 2003 (Premises licences and club premises certificates) Regulations 2005
• The DPS consent form (PDF) [27KB] which must be completed and signed by the proposed DPS (if you are selling alcohol)
• A copy of the personal alcohol licence of the proposed DPS (if you are selling alcohol)
• Evidence that you have the right to work in the UK. This must either be a valid passport or a share code obtainable from the Home Office website.

Once you have uploaded the required supporting documentation you will be prompted to pay the application 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.

Applying for large events

If you're planning a large scale event within St Helens that will provide licensable activities, it is advised that you contact us at the earliest possible opportunity (at least 3 months before the event in any case) so we can give you relevant advice prior to the submission of an application.

You may also wish to contact our events team, who can provide advice on planning your event and, if necessary, a referral to our Event Safety Advisory Group (EASG) can be made.

Advertising your application

On the premises

For a period of 28 days, starting the day after we have accepted your application, you must display a notice in a prominent position on the premises where it can be conveniently read from the outside by passers-by, which is:

• On pale blue A4 paper, and,
• Printed legibly or typed in black ink in a font equal to or larger than 16

You can download a template public notice here. (Word doc) [36KB]

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 10 working days starting on the day after we accept your application.

Note: Any incorrect information or dates on your public notice will result in a delay to your application.

How long will it take to process

There are set timescales stated in the legislation for determining a full variation application. If the responsible authorities or any interested parties do not object to your application, it is automatically granted after 28 days. If your application receives objections it will be decided at a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing.

General information

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.