Premises licence

A premises licence is a permanent licence granted in respect of a specific location. It authorises the licence holder to carry on a combination of licensable activities.

Licensable activities

The licensable activities that a premises licence can authorise are:

• the sale by retail of alcohol
• the supply of alcohol by a club to club members and guests
• the provision of regulated entertainment, including plays, films, indoor sports, music and dancing
• the provision of entertainment facilities
• the sale of late-night refreshments (hot food or drink supplied between 11pm and 5am).

Premises licences can also be used for one-off events at which more than 500 people are expected to attend. For smaller one-off events, it may be more appropriate to apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN).

Licensing objectives

All licensable activities in Brent should contribute to and not have a negative impact on our four objectives:

• preventing crime and disorder
• public safety
• preventing public nuisance
• protecting children from harm.

There are a few things you need to be aware of before you apply.

Off licences

The Council has adopted Cumulative Impact Zones (CIZ). If you are in the zone, you will need to demonstrate, within your operation schedule and to our satisfaction, that there will be no negative cumulative impact on the licensing objectives.

Selling or supplying alcohol

If you are applying to sell or supply alcohol, you will also need to specify an individual as the designated premises supervisor. If you already have this form, please attach it as supporting documentation when you complete the new premises licence form.

Selling or supplying food

You must also register your premises with the Brent Food, Health and Safety team. This service is free of charge. For information, please see Register a food premises.

Before you start

Applications must be sent to the licensing authority for the area where the premises are located. Applications must be in the specified format and be accompanied by

• the required fee,
• an operating schedule,
• a plan of the premises
• form of consent from the premises supervisor (for applications where the sale of alcohol will be a licensable activity).

If you do not know the rateable value of your premises we will accept an interim fee. You can find more information in the fees section.

What you must do next

After you have received an acknowledgement from us confirming that your application is valid, you will have to advertise your application.

All applications must be advertised in order to allow local residents and businesses to review your proposals and make a representation if they wish.

There are two ways in which you must advertise your premises licence notice by:

• displaying a statutory notice at your premises for 28 consecutive days, starting on the day after you submitted your application - this notice must be printed on blue paper and be displayed clearly at all times
  
  Download the public notice advertising template (.pdf, 23.3kB)
  
  
• publishing a single public notice in a local newspaper (Wembley Observer, Kilburn Times or Willesden and Brent Times) within 10 working days of submitting your application
  
  Download the media notice template (.pdf, 68.0kB)

Failure to advertise your application in accordance with the legal requirements will invalidate your application. It could mean that you have to start the entire application process again.

There is a 28-day period during which any representations in respect of the application may be made. This is from when an application is made for a new licence, or to vary or review an existing licence. Representations may support or oppose the application.

Please do not advertise your application until you have received an acknowledgement from the LA confirming that your application is valid.

What happens next

Confirmation of a decision

We will usually be able to confirm whether an application has been granted shortly after the end of this period. However, in situations where an objection has been made, the application will usually be referred to a sub-committee hearing to be decided.

Any licence granted may be subject to several conditions, including:

• mandatory conditions which are set out within the legislation - these apply if the licence allows the supply of alcohol or exhibition of films, or if security staff are employed at the premises
• conditions consistent with any special measures set out in the application form
• any further conditions imposed by the sub-committee following a hearing

Public register

We publish a public register giving details of the premises licences that we have issued.

Applications not processed by us within the timescales

If we have not processed your application by the end of the target completion period, Tacit consent applies. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted, but only where no objections are received. If objections are received from responsible authorities and/or interested parties, then you must wait for the council to determine the application before any licensable activities can take place.

Tacit consent for minor variations

Tacit consent will not apply for a 'minor variation'. This means that there are:

certain time limits set down in the legislation for a 'minor variation' that enable the Local Authority (we) to test whether a proposed minor variation could impact adversely on any of the four licensing objectives, namely, the prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; the prevention of public nuisance; and the protection of children from harm.

It is in the public interest that we must process your application before we can grant a minor variation. We must wait until a ten working day period has elapsed before determining the application, but must do so at the latest within fifteen working days, beginning on the first working day after we have received the application, with the effect either that:

• the minor variation is granted; or
• the application is refused.

If we fail to respond to you within fifteen days, your application will be treated as refused and we must return your fee. If we have not contacted you by the end of the target completion period, please contact us.

Premises Licence or Club Premises Certificate basic fees

Premises licence application fees depend on the non-domestic rateable value of the premises. This value, which is also used to calculate business rates, can be found through the HMRC Valuation Office.

Premises that do not have a rateable value, such as schools, church halls, open spaces or residential properties, automatically fall into the lowest fee band.

If you can not find the rateable value of your premises we will accept an interim fee as follows:

• For existing premises you should use band B.
• For new-build or premises under construction you should use band C.

Once we determine the rateable value, we will either ask you for the additional fee or refund any overpayments.

List of fees

Additional Fees - High Capacity Premises

In addition to the basic fees, where the number of persons permitted on the premises exceeds 5,000 at any one time then these additional fees apply:

When a premises first applies for a licence, or if they apply to vary their licence, or if the licence is reviewed, you can comment on the application to support or oppose it.

How to comment

If you want to comment on an application, you must do it in writing by the advertised date. This is usually 28 days after the application was made.

Representations (comments) will be expected to relate to at least one of the licensing objectives.

The objectives are:

• preventing crime and disorder
• public safety
• preventing public nuisance
• protecting children from harm.

Commenting during maintenance period

You will not be able to submit comments online from 11 September to 1 October 2026 while essential maintenance takes place. If you need to submit a comment during this time, please email business.licence@brent.gov.uk Responses may take longer than usual, so please allow extra time.

Provisional statements are effectively provisional licences.

Provisional statements allow you to assess the likelihood of obtaining a full licence before committing to the costs of developing a site. You can get them in situations where the premises have not yet been constructed, extended, or altered for use for licensable activities.

Provisional statements do not in their own right allow licensable activities to be carried out. However, if a statement has been granted, we are obliged to disregard any representations we receive against a subsequent premises licence application. We will do this as long as the details of the application are generally the same as when the statement application was made.

Timescales

28 calendar days followed by 20 working days

Costs

£315

If you would like to apply for a provisional statement, email: business.licence@brent.gov.uk

You may need to make changes to the licence to reflect a change in circumstances.

Applications can be made to vary the licence for various things, including:

• changing the layout of the licensed premises
• providing further licensable activities at the premises
• increasing the times during which licensable activities can be provided
• adding, changing or removing conditions imposed upon the licence
• changing the name or address of the premises licence holder.

Depending on the type of change will determine which application you to apply with. The different types of change you can apply for are:

Apply for a change to a licence

Smaller changes that will not have a negative impact upon the licensing objectives

• A minor variation application

• Change of name and address

Larger changes that may have a negative effect upon the licensing objectives

• A full variation application

If the business is sold to a new owner, an application can be made to transfer the licence

• Permanently transfer premises licence to another person
• Temporarily transfer a premises licence to your name

If the changes will completely change the nature of the business, we may instead ask you to apply for a new licence.

If you supply or sell alcohol you are required to specify an individual as the designated premises supervisor (DPS). The DPS will usually be the person in day-to-day control of the premises and must hold a licence to sell alcohol. The DPS also authorises other members of staff to sell alcohol.

Alcohol cannot be sold from the premises if there is no DPS listed on the licence.

Some 'community premises' are able to apply to remove the requirement to specify a DPS on their licence. The premises must satisfy several conditions in order to remove the requirement, and an application must be granted before the change can be made.

Removal of Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) or change of details

If the individual specified as the DPS stops working at the premises, it will be necessary to apply to change the DPS's details.

Who can use this service?

• The current premises licence holder must apply for the variation.
• The nominated DPS must complete the consent form.
• The leaving DPS must complete the request to be removed.

Timescales

• Application to vary - 14 calendar days
• Consent to be nominated - 14 calendar days
• Request to be removed as a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) - 5 working days

Costs

£23

Apply for Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS)

Using our online application forms you can:

• Apply for designated premises supervisor (DPS)

• Consent to be nominated as the designated premises supervisor

Please note you can not use the online application to vary a designated premises supervisor licence. Please contact us if you want to make changes to your DPS.

The Cumulative Impact Policy applies only to Off-Licences.

Where an application for a new off-licence or for variations to off-licences is received (which would increase the sale of alcohol, including through longer hours), the presumption is that the application will be refused unless the applicant can satisfactorily evidence that their application or variation will not negatively impact on the licensing objectives.

However, residents, local businesses and responsible authorities still need to make representations in relation to applications they have concerns for. If a satisfactory application does not receive any representations, it will automatically be granted.

Current licence holders within the defined area are not affected, unless a licence holder seeks to vary their licence in a manner that would cause negative cumulative impact.

Cumulative Impact zones

The CIZ applies to the following areas:

Harlesden

• Craven Park Road
• Craven Park
• High Street
• Park Parade 
• Manor Park Road

Wembley Central (North of North Circular Road to Talbot Road)

• High Road 
• Lancelot Road 
• Harrow Road – (Wembley- North of the North Circular)
• London Road 
• Central Square
• Wembley Park Drive

Wembley Park (Starting at junction of Barn Rise & Forty Avenue to Wembley Triangle)

• Empire Way
• South Way
• Wembley Hill Road
• Engineers Way
• Grand Parade (Forty Avenue)
• Olympic Way
• Bridge Road
• Wembley Park Drive

Neasden Town Centre

• Neasden Lane 
• Neasden Lane North 
• Blackbird Hill 
• Forty Lane (up until the road ‘The Paddocks’

Kilburn High Road (Starting at Christchurch Avenue to Cambridge Avenue)

• Kilburn High Road 
• Glengall Road 
• Willesden Lane 
• Cambridge Avenue 
• Salusbury Road

Willesden

• High Road
• Dudden Hill Lane 
• Walm Lane 
• Station Parade 
• Willesden Lane
• Pound Lane
• Church Road

Sudbury Town Centre (junction of Sudbury Roundabout (adjacent to District Road) up to the junction of Chestnut Avenue, along Watford Road up to the junction of Homefield Avenue)

• Harrow Road - North of the North Circular
• Watford Road 

East Lane (Junction of Watford Road to the junction of Preston Road)

• East Lane

Kingsbury (including Fryent Way up to Wyndale Avenue)

• Kingsbury Road (Kingsbury Circle to Junction of Church Lane)
• Edgware Road (Junction of Kingsbury Road to Hay Lane) 
• Church Lane 
• Hay Lane 
• Kenton Road (Starting at Northwick Park Roundabout to Kingsbury Circle)

Queensbury

• Queensbury Station Parade
• Burnt Oak Broadway
• Honeypot Lane

Ealing Road (Junction of High Road, Wembley to the junction of Bridgewater Road)

• Atlip Road
• Mount Pleasant Road up to the junction of Orchard Close
• Montrose Crescent
• Union Road
• Coronet Parade
• Heather Park Parade
• Mount Pleasant

Cricklewood Broadway (Junction of Mora Road to Walm Lane)

• Cricklewood Broadway

If you are concerned about the running of a premises you can request that its licence is reviewed.

Find out how to request a review of a licence.