Club premises certificate

​Clubs must be qualifying clubs. A qualifying club has general conditions it must satisfy. These are:

• a person may not be given memberships or as a candidate for membership to any membership privileges without an interval of at least two days from their membership application or nomination and their membership being granted
• that club rules state that those becoming member without nomination or application cannot have membership privileges for at least two days between them becoming members and being admitted to the club
• 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

Additional conditions in relation to the supply of alcohol must be complied with. These conditions are:

• that 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
• that 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
• that there are 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

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.

Relevant miners' welfare institutes can also be considered. A relevant institute is one that is managed by a committee or board that consists of at least two thirds of people appointed or elevated by one or more licensed operators under the Coal Industry Act 1994 and by one or more organisations who represent coal mine employees. The institute can be managed by the committee or board where the board cannot be made up as detailed above but is made up of at least two thirds of members who were employed or are employed in or around coal mines and also by people who were appointed by the Coal Industry Welfare Organisation or by a body who had similar functions under the Miners' Welfare Act 1952. In any case the premises of the institute must be held on a trust as required under the Recreational Charities Act 1958.

​A summary of the regulations relating to club premises certificates are available on the government's Home Office website. View the Home Office summary.

​Applications must be in a specific format and be accompanied by the required fee, a plan of the premises, a copy of the rules of the club and a club operating schedule.

Applicants must advertise their application and unless the application is submitted electronically, the applicant is required to give notice to responsible authorities on the same day the application is submitted to the licensing authority.

If an application is submitted without a fee or one of the required documents, it may be considered incomplete and returned to the applicant. If the applicant has failed to meet any statutory requirement after the application has been made, it could lead to the application being invalidated and the process starting again.

Further details about the application requirements can be found in the guidance note for applicants. Applicants are strongly advised to read and understand these guidance notes before completing the application form. Applicants are also expected to have regard to the City of London's Statement of Licensing Policy and list of model conditions to help them identify measures they can include in their operating schedule.

If no representations are received during the statutory consultation periods, the licensing authority must grant the certificate, which will be subject to mandatory conditions and/or conditions from the operating schedule.

A public hearing must be held if any representations are made in respect of the application. If a hearing is held, the certificate can be granted, granted subject to additional conditions, licensable activities listed in the application can be excluded or the application can be rejected.

View the City of London's procedure for public hearings. (PDF 94KB)

​All applications are subject to a statutory consultation period and the consultation period commences when a complete and valid application is received by the Licensing Authority.

New club premises certificates and variations

For new club premises certificates and variations, the application must be publicly advertised for 28 consecutive days from the date a valid application is received. If there are no relevant representations made during those 28 days, the application will be deemed granted and a licence consistent with the application will be issued within 10 working days of the last date for representation.

If relevant representations are made during the 28 day consultation period a public hearing must be held to determine the application within 20 working days of the last date for representation (unless agreement is reached for this period to be extended).

Minor variation

An application for a minor variation must be publicly advertised for 10 consecutive working days starting the day after the day of a valid application being received. The licensing authority will consider any relevant representations received during the consultation period and whether the proposed variation could have an adverse effect on one or more of the licensing objectives. There is no requirement for a public hearing. The licensing authority’s decision will be sent to all parties within 10 working days of the last date for representation.

If an application is not processed within 15 working days, it will be deemed refused. This is to minimise the risk of any high risk changes that affect crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance or protection of children from harm, being approved inadvertently. This is because local residents and responsible authorities such as the Police or Fire Brigade have a legitimate interest in the outcome of minor variation applications

Change of details or club rules

A request to change club details or club rules will have immediate effect from the day a valid request is received. The licensing authority will acknowledge your request within 10 working days of a valid request being received.

​Yes. With the exception of a minor variation, if there are no relevant representations made during the statutory consultation period, the application will be deemed granted and a certificate will be issued in accordance with the application.

If relevant representations are made within the statutory consultation period a public hearing must be held to determine the application.

In the case of a minor variation, the application will be deemed refused if it has not been processed within the statutory consultation period.

Applicant /license holder

If an applicant for a new licence, variation or transfer application is not satisfied with the decision of the licensing authority after a public hearing, that person can appeal. An appeal may relate to the refusal of a new licence, a decision to reject a variation application, a decision to reject a transfer application, a decision to exclude an activity or person as premises supervisor or a decision to attach conditions to a licence. Appeals are made to the City of London Magistrates Court, 1 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4XY, within 21 days of receiving notification of the decision.

In the case of a minor variation, the decision of the licensing officer is final

Responsible authority/any other person

A responsible authority or any other person who has made a relevant representation to a licence application can appeal the decision of the licensing authority after a public hearing if they are not satisfied with that decision. An appeal may relate to the grant of a licence or variation, a decision to include an activity or person as premises supervisor or a decision to attach conditions to a licence. Appeals are made to the City of London Magistrates Court, 1 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4XY, within 21 days of receiving notification of the decision.

In the case of a minor variation, the decision of the licensing officer is final.

Any person who has concerns about a premises operating without the required certificate or wishes to make a complaint about a premises should contact the Licensing team by phone on 020 7332 3406 or send an email to the Licensing team.

Any person who is suffering noise or nuisance associated with club premises should contact the Pollution team by phone on 020 7332 3630 or send an email to the Public Protection team.

The Council also operates an out-of-hours service to deal with urgent complaints arising outside normal office hours. Out-of-hours complaints can be made via Guildhall switchboard on 020 7606 3030.

An interested party or responsible authority may apply to the Licensing Authority to review a club premises certificate. Following the receipt of a review application a hearing will be held by the Licensing Authority. See Review of licences for further details.

• Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations (FLVA)
• British Institute of Innkeepers (BII)
• Performing Rights Society
• Phonographic Performances Ltd