Our fees for an application for a new Premises Licence, or the Full Variation of an existing Premises Licence, will vary depending upon the complexity of the proposed application. We will provide you with a detailed figure once we have obtained initial information from you and advise which category the application falls into.
If you require pre-application advice (to include liaison with Responsible Authorities e.g. police) our normal fees are charged on a time spent basis in accordance with our agreed hourly rates plus VAT.
The normal range of our fees for applications for new licences and Full Variations are:
| Type of application | Range of fees |
| Simple | £1,250 - £2,250 plus VAT at 20% |
| Medium complexity | £1,850 - £2,750 plus VAT at 20% |
| High complexity* | £2,500 - £5,500 plus VAT at 20% |
*Some complex matters such as for special events or bespoke premises located with in cumulative impact policy areas may be higher than these fees depending on specific requirements. We will provide you with an indicative budget of our costs on engagement
These fees are charged at Knights hourly rates (plus VAT at 20%):
Partner £600/525/450/395
Senior Associate £385
Associate £325
Solicitor £275
Legal Executive £275
Trainee Solicitor £190
Paralegal £170
Legal Assistant £120
Application fee (payable to licensing authority) – this is based upon the Non Domestic Rateable Value (NDRV) of the premises. See chart below.
For premises with an NDRV above £87,000 there may be a multiplier of 2 or 3 times applied if the premises are used exclusively or primarily for the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises.
| NDRV | £0 - £4,300 | £4,301 - £33,000 | £33,001 - £87,000 | £87,000 - £125,000 | £125,001 and above |
| Application fee | £100 | £190 | £315 | £450 | £635 |
No VAT is charged on application fees unless advised,
Advertising fee – this varies according to the length of the notice and the newspaper chosen, but is typically around £250 to £550 plus VAT at 20%. We recharge these to you at cost (where we receive a discount from our agent we will pass this saving on to you directly).
Printing additional copies of plans if necessary £25 plus VAT at 20% per copy.
What is included
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taking your initial instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application. The initial meeting (either in person or remotely) is unlikely to last more than 90 minutes;
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providing initial guidance on the requirements for plans you are required to submit with your application (reviews of subsequent or revised versions of plans will incur additional charges on a time spent basis);
- preparing the application pack for a new Premises Licence / Full Variation application (including the operating schedule) in accordance with your instructions and providing you with a draft for approval;
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as necessary providing a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) consent form for signature by a personal licence holder proposed by yourself;
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submitting the application by e-mail or on-line to the local licensing authority with suitable plans (as necessary). The cost of arranging for and preparing the plans is not included;
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drafting the notices advertising the premises licence application and supplying for you to erect on the premises, and advising as to where and how this should be done by you in order to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003;
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submitting the notice to the local newspaper for advertising;
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checking the licence once granted and correcting any errors with the licensing authority; and
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corresponding with you by e-mail regarding the submission of your application.
Should the local authority not accept applications by e-mail or online, then there will be additional fees payable for preparing copies of the premises licence application for disclosure to the responsible authorities and serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities. Resubmission will also incur additional charges.
Any work we conduct not included in the above (for example see below) will be charged at an hourly rate of between £170 to £450 per hour depending upon experience and seniority of your adviser.
The fees stated do not include:
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obtaining suitable plans;
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site visits and additional meetings
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meetings outside the offices or outside normal office hours;
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attending consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities, nor their fee for this meeting (see separate charges above);
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dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representations received from either the responsible authorities or other interested parties;
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attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee hearing of the responsible authority. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee is required, then we will provide a separate fee budget for this work which will be charged on a time spent basis in accordance with our agreed hourly rates; and
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advice on any issues other than the application for a new licence or full variation of an existing licence.
What we need from you
We aim to act as promptly as possible following receipt of your instructions. These estimates assume that you will supply us with all information requested in correct and complete format and without unnecessary reminders from us. We will require you to make payment to us in respect of fees and disbursements promptly and reserve the right to request funds on account to cover these costs.
How long will my application take?
Applications usually take 5-6 weeks from submission to grant assuming there are no objections. This is on the basis of the application being straightforward and you being able to provide all the necessary documents and responding to requests for information promptly.
If your matter is more complex, for example, if there is substantial opposition from interested parties, or if there is a delay in receiving the documents we need, it may take longer.