FAQs - Objecting to an Alcohol Licence

Anyone that has an interest to this application.

An objection must be in writing and be received by the licensing committee within 25 working days after the first publication of the public notice on the Marlborough District Council website. A notice is also displayed on the premises or site.

An objection can only be made in relation to the matters listed in section 105 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 for new licences, or Section 132 of the Act for renewals. These are;

1. the object of this Act;
2. the suitability of the applicant;
3. any relevant local alcohol policy;
4. the days on which and the hours during which the applicant proposes to sell alcohol;
5. the design and layout of any proposed premises;
6. whether the applicant is engaged in, or proposes on the premises to engage in, the sale of goods other than alcohol, low-alcohol refreshments, non-alcoholic refreshments, and food, and if so, which goods;
7. whether the applicant is engaged in, or proposes on the premises to engage in, the provision of services other than those directly related to the sale of alcohol, low-alcohol refreshments, non-alcoholic refreshments, and food, and if so, which services;
8. the effect on the amenity and good order of the locality;
9. whether the applicant has appropriate systems, staff, and training to comply with the law.

For renewal applications, there is an additional criteria under Section 131 (1)(d):

• the manner in which the applicant has sold (or as the case may be sold and supplied), displayed, advertised or promoted alcohol.

The Object of the Act is that “the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol should be undertaken safely and responsibly; and the harm caused by the excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcohol should be minimised.”

When considering the impact of a licence application on the amenity and good order of the locality, the committee will have regard to current and possible future noise levels, nuisance and vandalism, and the number of premises for which licences of the same kind are already held.

For new applications the committee will also consider the compatibility of the purposes for which land near the premises concerned is used, and the purposes for which those premises will be used if the licence is issued.

No, the committee must not take into account any prejudicial effect that the issue of the licence may have on any other licensed business.

Your objection is not confidential. Your name, contact details and the content of your objection will be made available to the public.

For more information, please see the Council’s Privacy Statement

Copies of objections received are given to the applicant, and the Licensing Inspector may discuss them with the applicant. Sometimes the applicant will offer to make changes to the application to appease the objectors, such as reducing hours or changing aspects of the business. If this occurs, objectors will be contacted to see if they agree to the changes and wish to withdraw their objection, or if they continue to object. If no agreement is reached and the application continues to be objected, it will go to a public hearing.

The District Licensing Committee of three members will hear the matter. The objectors and the applicants will be invited to attend and state their case, and the Committee will then deliberate and decide whether to grant or decline the application, or what conditions should be imposed on the licence.