Club Premises Certificate

A Club Premises Certificate is a type of authorisation that is only available to private members clubs if they plan to sell or supply alcohol. For example of a qualifying members’ clubs such as rugby clubs or the Royal British Legion.

In order to constitute a qualifying club, the club must carry out each or a combination of various requirements outlined in the Licensing Act 2003.

Club Premises Certificates offer qualifying clubs the advantages of the absence of the need to specify a Designated Premises Supervisor.

Qualifying clubs may only conduct activities for club members and their guests and cannot be used for events open to the general public or for the hire of the club facilities to non-members for private functions.

If the club wishes to hold such events, the club must apply for either a Temporary Events Notice for one-time events or a Premises Licence to hold regular events.

 

Who is eligible to apply?

Any qualifying clubs that satisfy the following conditions:

  • persons shall not be given membership or as a candidate for memberships without a period of at least two days from their membership or nomination and their membership being granted
  • the club rules must state that persons shall not be given membership or as a candidate for memberships without a period of at least two days from their membership or nomination and their membership being granted that the club is established and conducted in good faith
  • that the club has at least 25 members
  • that alcohol is only supplied to members on the premises on behalf or by the club

If a club premises certificate is granted and the certificate permits the supply of alcohol the holder is required to comply with the following conditions:

  • alcohol purchased for and supplied by the club is done by members of club who are over 18 years of age and are elected to do so by the members
  • no person at the expense of the club receives any commission, percentage or other similar payment in regard to the purchase of alcohol by the club
  • there shall be no arrangements for anyone to receive a financial benefit from supplying alcohol, apart from any benefit to the club or to any person indirectly from the supply giving a gain from running the club
  • Any further conditions that must be met and/or that have been agreed upon

Registered industrial and provident societies and friendly societies will qualify if the alcohol is purchased for and supplied by the club is done under the control of the members or a committee of members.

More guidance on club premises certificate is available via Home Office website.

Applications must be made to the authority and in following prescribed format:

  • Application for a new club premises certificate 
  • Operating schedule
  • Plan of the club
  • Declaration for a club premises certificate 
  • Right to work in the UK
  • A statutory fee. Fee is based on the Non-Domestic Rateable Value (NDRV). Find out the NDRV of the premises and the fee band that apply.

Application fees are non-refundable if an application is withdrawn or rejected.

More information on club premises certificate including alcohol can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Apply for a Club Premises Certificate

The club operating schedule will outline details of:

  • The qualifying activities of the club
  • the times it is proposed for those to take place
  • Other times that it is proposed the club will be open to its members and their guests
  • Whether alcohol is to be supplied for consumption on the premises or both on and off the premises
  • That the club intends to do to promote the licensing objectives
  • Club rules
  • Any other required information

The layout plan of the club premises will include details of:

  • a scale no smaller than 1:100
  • the premises boundary and all internal and external walls
  • the location of all entrances, exits and escape routes
  • where the premises is to be used for more than one licensable activity, the area(s) within the premises to be used for each
  • areas to be used for the consumption of alcohol
  • fixed structures (including furniture) which may restrict the use of exits or escape routes
  • the location and height of any stage
  • the location of any steps, stairs, elevators or lifts
  • lavatories
  • the location and type of any fire safety equipment or other safety equipment and
  • any kitchen

It is a criminal offence to carry out unlicensed activities and if convicted, a person could be given a fine and a six-month prison sentence.

The application will be considered valid only when all required information and documentations including the appropriate fee have been received.

If you are applying for a club premises certificate you must have the right to work in the UK. Evidence of this must be supplied with the application. If you fail to provide then necessary evidence we will have to reject your application.

Read the guidance notes for entitlement to work for individual applicants.

On 1 April 2017 it became a requirement that anyone purchasing alcohol wholesale is required to check that the wholesaler they are buying from is approved on the Alcohol Wholesaler’s Registration Scheme (AWRS) operated by HM Revenue and Customs. 

You can check your UK wholesaler is AWRS approved by using the online alcohol wholesalers register. You will need your wholesalers unique reference number (URN), which should be displayed on their invoice. Speak to your wholesaler if you can’t find their URN. Once you find your wholesaler on the register, keep a record of your check by printing off or saving the page to confirm that they are approved. HMRC may ask you for those details at a later date.

If you are unable to find your wholesaler on the register, tell them that they need to contact HMRC for approval. You should not buy alcohol from them and should notify HMRC by searching for Customs, Excise and VAT fraud reporting on GOV.UK. Any business found buying alcohol from a non-registered UK wholesaler could have their alcohol stock seized, be fined or even prosecuted. GOV.UK gives further guidance about the scheme.

This authority has a duty to protect the public funds it administers and to that end, the information you supply on the licensing applications may be used to prevent and identify fraud. For these objectives, the authority may also share your information with other authorities responsible for purposes of auditing or administering public monies. Refer to our privacy notice for more information.

There are also various policies should be considered before submitting an application, view the adopted licensing policies. 

The authority will review the application and contact the applicant if additional information is required.

If no documents are missing or additional information is required from applicant, the authority will send a copy of the electronic application to the appropriate authorities for consultation.

You are recommended to contact the authority before displaying the statutory notice(s) or advertising your application in a local paper. For new club premises certificate applications under the Licensing Act 2003 applicants must display a notice in the prescribed format that must be displayed on the club so as to be read from the outside for a period of 28 days starting from the application date. The display notice must be on A4 paper and be pale blue in colour. A notice with the same information must also be displayed in a local newspaper that circulates in the area of the premises within 10 days from the application date. The statutory blue notice must be repeated every 50m for large premises. The 28 day consultation period will be reset and the publication will need to be re-advertised in the newspaper if the prescribed wording specified in the statutory blue notice and/or newspaper advertisement is not used. Any deviation from this requirement will not be accepted as compliant with the legislation. Therefore, please ensure that the prescribed wording stipulated on the Redbridge Licensing Authority website is used for new club premises certificate applications.

View the statutory blue notice (PDF 11KB) which must be displayed at or on the premises in the format prescribed by the authority. The authority will display a summary copy of the application under Members Licensing Bulletin during the consultation period.

View the template for a newspaper advertisement notice (PDF 17KB) that must be published in a local newspaper.

Fill out and return the newspaper advertisement confirmation form (PDF 17KB).

Representations can be in support or against an application and must be based on one or more of the four licensing objectives.

If you wish to make a representation on a licence application view the representation guidelines.

If any representations are made to any submitted application, the authority will contact the applicant to notify them of the next stage of the process.

If no representations are received the licensing authority will grant the application, subject only to any conditions that are consistent with the operating schedule, any conditions agreed between parties and relevant mandatory conditions.

A hearing must be held if any relevant representations are made in respect of the application or unless the application is withdrawn. If a hearing is held the certificate may be granted or granted with conditions, the licensable activities listed in the application may be excluded or the application may be refused. The licensing authority will serve a notice of its decision on the applicant and any person who has made relevant representations.

View the licensing applications under consideration by our Licensing Committee as well as the decisions committee have made.

You may appeal a licensing hearing decision to the Magistrates Court within 21 days of receiving notice of the decision.

We provide pre-application advice to assist you with your licensing application under the Licensing Act 2003. Register your interest in our pre-application advice service.

Yes. If an application for a club premises certificate has been made lawfully and there have been no representations from responsible authorities or other persons before the end of the consultation period. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority by the end of the target completion period. The Council's target completion date is 40-days after the authority and the responsible authorities have received your valid application for club premises certificate under the Licensing Act 2003.

If a club premises certificate or summary is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, the registered licence holder can request a replacement copy by completing and returning the prescribed form (PDF 370KB) along with £10.50 fee.

If you are the holder of club premises certificate and your name or address has changed, notify the authority.

The holder of club premises licence must also notify the authority if there are any changes to the club rules.

Make your notification using the prescribed form.

A statutory fee of £10.50 is subject for each request.

At present we encourage all applicants to make electronic applications via the online portal.

Postal application is available by downloading and filling out the application forms by hand, making payment then scanning and emailing the application along with the payment to Licensing.Authority@redbridge.gov.uk, please contact the authority for copies of postal forms.

Any applications received without the required information and documentation including payment will be invalid for consideration by the authority.

If you are experiencing issues with the electronic PDF, it is possible that you are using an older version of Windows, Server or a device not compatible among other system issues. We recommend that you update to the newest version of Adobe Reader or use the latest Windows Server or other compatible operating system to access and submit an electronic application via the online portal.