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  10. Club Premises Certificate

Club Premises Certificate

A Club Premises Certificate is required for clubs that members join for a particular social, sporting or political purpose and then combine to purchase alcohol in bulk for members. The club has restricted access to the public (non-members) and the alcohol is supplied to members for no profit.

A club premises certificate authorises the following activities:

  • supply of alcohol by or on behalf of the club to, or to the order of, members of the club
  • sale by retail of alcohol by or on behalf of the club to a guest of a member of the club for consumption on the premises where the sale takes place
  • provision of regulated entertainment (where that provision is by or on behalf of a club for members of the club or members of the club and their guests).

If a club wishes to supply alcohol to non-members (not including guests of members), it should apply for a Premises Licence.

Clubs meeting the following criteria are known as 'qualifying clubs' and when wishing to conduct the activities above, a club premises certificate is required:

  • under the rules of the club, persons may not be admitted to membership, or be admitted, as candidates for membership, to any of the privileges of membership without an interval of at least two days between their nomination for membership and their admission
  • under the rules of the club, those becoming members without prior nomination or application may not be admitted to the privileges of membership, without an interval of at least two days between their becoming members and their admission
  • the club is established and conducted in good faith as a club
  • the club has at least 25 members
  • alcohol is not supplied to members on the premises other than by, or on behalf of, the club
  • the purchase and supply of alcohol by and for the club is managed by a committee, made up of elected members of the club all aged over 18 years
  • no arrangements may be made for any person to receive any commission, percentage or similar payment at the expense of the club with reference to purchases of alcohol by the club
  • no person can directly or indirectly receive any monetary benefit from the supply of alcohol to members or guests, apart from to benefit the club as a whole. Any indirect benefit a person gains from the supply of alcohol must contribute to a general gain for the club as a whole.

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Apply for a club premises certificate

Please ensure you read the club premises certificate guidance (PDF, 485 KB)(opens new window) before making an application.

Please note that this guidance is being updated, if you have any questions please contact a member of our Licensing Team. Any applications submitted that are incomplete or incorrect will be rejected.

To apply for a club premises certificate you are required to:

  • complete and return the club premises application form (PDF, 234 KB)(opens new window), along with the relevant fee (PDF, 160 KB)(opens new window)
  • enclose the fee as detailed on the application form
  • submit a plan of the building with your application
  • submit a copy of your club rules with your application
  • complete and return the club declaration form (PDF, 19 KB)(opens new window)
  • issue a copy of your completed application form to each of the Responsible Authorities
  • complete and submit a declaration confirming the issuance of the application to the Responsible Authorities (PDF, 12 KB)(opens new window)
    • each Responsible Authority could make an objection to your application, which may result in a Committee hearing at South Holland District Council
  • display a Public Notice - see an example of a Club Public Notice (PDF, 14 KB)(opens new window)
    • must be displayed in a conspicuous place on the premises for at least 28 consecutive days, starting after the day the application was submitted
    • must be displayed where it can be conveniently read by members of the public from the exterior of the premises
    • must be at least A4 size
    • must be pale blue in colour
    • must be printed legibly in black ink or typed in a black font equal, or greater than, font size 16
    • if the premises covers an area of more than 50 square metres, an additional identical notice must be displayed every 50 metres of the perimeter of the premises
    • ensure your application is complete and valid before displaying your public notice. If incorrect, you may need to display it again for 28 consecutive days, after submitting a complete application
    • the public notice gives the public the opportunity to make representations. If a representation is valid, it may result in a Committee hearing at South Holland District Council
  • publish a notice in the local press - see an example of a Newspaper Notice (PDF, 12 KB)(opens new window)
    • must be placed in a local newspaper that circulates in the vicinity of the premises
    • must be published on at least one occasion during the 10 working days after the day the application was submitted
    • ensure your application is complete and valid before displaying the newspaper notice. If incorrect, you may need to advertise it again
    • the newspaper notice gives the public the opportunity to make representations. If a representation is valid, it may result in a Committee hearing at South Holland District Council
  • complete and submit a declaration confirming your display of the Public Notice and Newspaper Notice (PDF, 9 KB)(opens new window).

Our Licensing Team will acknowledge receipt within three working days. If there are no representations or objections, all requirements have been met and the application form is fully and correctly completed, the licence will be granted. If there are any changes necessary to enable us to accept the application, we will contact you. Please retain a copy of the completed application forms.

 

Vary an existing club premises certificate

You can make an application to amend a current club premises certificate, if the change affects any of the licensing objectives.

Variations are used when adding any extra licensable activities to a licence, such as:

  • adjusting the operating hours
  • adding or removing conditions to a licence
  • major changes to the layout of the premises or changes to the plans of the building.

A proposed change may be able to be dealt with as a Minor Variation. Please refer to the guide on variations (PDF, 485 KB)(opens new window) if you're unsure which type of variation application your proposed change should be made as. Before making an application, please ensure you read our guidance on making a variation (PDF, 485 KB)(opens new window).

Please note that this guidance is being updated, if you have any questions please contact a member of our Licensing Team. Any applications submitted that are incomplete or incorrect will be rejected.

To apply for a variation to a club premises certificate, you need to:

  • complete and return the club variation application form (PDF, 218 KB)(opens new window), along with the relevant fee (PDF, 160 KB)(opens new window)
  • enclose the fee as detailed on the application form
  • return both parts of your original club premises certificate
    • if this is not available please confirm why in writing
  • submit a plan of the building with your application
    • clearly indicate any proposed new areas or alterations, if applicable
  • issue a copy of your completed application form to each of the Responsible Authorities
  • complete and submit a declaration confirming issuance of the application to the Responsible Authorities (PDF, 12 KB)(opens new window)
    • each Responsible Authority could make an objection to your application, which may result in a Committee hearing at South Holland District Council
  • display a Public Notice - see an example of a Club Public Notice (PDF, 14 KB)(opens new window)
    • must be displayed in a conspicuous place on the premises for at least 28 consecutive days, starting after the day the application was submitted
    • must be displayed where it can be conveniently read by members of the public from the exterior of the premises
    • must be at least A4 size
    • must be pale blue in colour
    • must be printed legibly in black ink or typed in a black font equal, or greater than, font size 16
    • if the premises covers an area of more than 50 square metres, an additional identical notice must be displayed every 50 metres of the perimeter of the premises
    • ensure your application is complete and valid before displaying your public notice. If incorrect, you may need to display again for 28 consecutive days after submission of a complete application
    • the public notice gives the public the opportunity to make representations.  If the representation is valid it may result in a Committee hearing at South Holland District Council
  • publish a notice in the local press - see an example of a Newspaper Notice (PDF, 12 KB)
    • must be placed in a local newspaper that circulates in the vicinity of the premises
    • must be published on at least one occasion, during the period 10 working days after the day the application was submitted
    • ensure your application is complete and valid before displaying your newspaper notice. If incorrect, you may need to advertise again
    • the newspaper notice gives the public the opportunity to make representations. If a representation is valid, it may result in a Committee hearing at South Holland District Council
  • complete and submit a declaration confirming your display of the Public Notice and Newspaper Notice (PDF, 9 KB)(opens new window).

Our Licensing Team will acknowledge receipt within three working days. If there are no representations or objections, all requirements have been met and the application form is fully and correctly completed, the amended licence will be granted. Any objections from the Responsible Authorities, or valid representations from the public may result in a committee hearing at South Holland District Council. We will contact you to confirm this process, if necessary. If there are any changes necessary to enable us to accept the application, we will contact you. Please retain a copy of the completed application forms.

 

Apply for a minor variation to a club premises certificate

You can make an application to amend a current club premises certificate, if the change affects any of the licensing objectives. Minor Variations are used when removing licensable activities from your licence or small amendments to the layout of the premises. If your proposed change does adversely affect the licensing objectives, an application to vary a certificate should be made. 

Please refer to the guide on variations (PDF, 485 KB)(opens new window) if you're unsure which type of application your proposed change should be made as. Before making an application, please ensure you read our guidance on making a variation (PDF, 485 KB)(opens new window).

Please note that this guidance is being updated, if you have any questions please contact a member of our Licensing Team. Any applications submitted that are incomplete or incorrect will be rejected.

In order to apply for a Minor Variation you will need to:

  • complete and return the minor variation application form (PDF, 87 KB)(opens new window), along with the fee of £89
  • return both parts of your original club premises certificate
    • if this is not available, please confirm why in writing
  • submit a plan of the building with your application
  • display a Public Notice - see an example of a Club Public Notice (PDF, 14 KB)(opens new window)
    • must be displayed in a conspicuous place on the premises for at least 10 consecutive days, starting after the day the application was submitted
    • must be displayed where it can be conveniently read by members of the public from the exterior of the premises
    • must be at least A4 size
    • must be white in colour
    • must be printed legibly in black ink or typed in a black font equal, or greater than, font size 16
    • if the premises covers an area of more than 50 square metres, a further identical notice must be displayed every 50 metres of the perimeter of the premises
    • ensure your application is complete and valid before displaying your public notice. If incorrect, you may need to display again for 10 consecutive days after submission of a complete application
    • the public notice gives the public the opportunity to make representations. If a representation is valid, it may result in a Committee hearing at South Holland District Council.

Minor Variation applications will be acknowledged within three working days. The decision to authorise or reject an application is made by our Licensing Team, who may liaise with any of the Responsible Authorities to assist with making the decision.  Any valid public representations will also be considered. If there are any amendments needed to enable us to accept the application, we will contact you. Please retain a copy of the completed application forms.

 

Surrender a club premises certificate

If you would like to surrender your club premises certificate, you are required to complete and return the surrender club premises application form (PDF, 34 KB)(opens new window). You should also enclose both parts of the original club premises certificate.

Review an existing club premises certificate

If you feel a club is in breach of any of its conditions, you can request a review of their club premises certificate. In order to request a review, you must be an interested party, who is either:

  • living in the vicinity of the premises, or an organisation representing people living in the vicinity
  • involved in a business in the vicinity, or an organisation representing people involved in a business in the vicinity
  • a local elected district Councillor of the Licensing Authority.

For a representation to be valid and relevant you must be able to show how it affects your quality of life and it must relate to one of the four licensing objectives:

  • the protection of children from harm
  • public safety
  • prevention of crime and disorder
  • prevention of public nuisance.

If you would like us to review a club premises certificate, please contact our Licensing team who will coordinate the review. It would be helpful if you could keep a log of incidents related to the premises, using the report sheets below, as this information will assist us with any investigation.

If applicable, a hearing may take place at South Holland District Council. All parties will be invited to the hearing which will be held in public. At the hearing, the committee could choose to leave the licence as it is, modify the licence conditions, exclude activities from the licence, suspend or even revoke the licence.

Representations on a club premises certificate

Representations can be made for 28 days following the submission of a valid application. The expiry date for representations will be shown on the newspaper notice or public notice on the premises. To make a representation, you must be an interested party, who must be either:

  • living in the vicinity of the premises, or an organisation representing people living in the vicinity
  • involved in a business in the vicinity, or an organisation representing people involved in a business in the vicinity
  • a local elected district Councillor of the licensing Authority.

All representations must be made in writing to: Licensing Team, South Holland District Council, Council Offices, Priory Road, Spalding, PE11 2XE.

For a representation to be valid and relevant, it must clearly state how it will affect your quality of life and it must relate to one of the four licensing objectives:

  1. the prevention of children from harm
  2. public safety
  3. prevention of crime and disorder
  4. prevention of public nuisance.

If your representation is valid, a hearing may be required at South Holland District Council. Our Licensing Team will contact you to confirm the next steps.

For further information on making valid representations, including appealing decisions or other queries about Club Premises, please visit the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport website (opens new window). You may also view the Licensing Act 2003 legislation (opens new window), which details the regulations around alcohol and entertainment.

If you are unable to find the information you need, please contact us.

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