Minor Variation to a Club Premise Certificate

• The grant of a club premises certificate means that a club is entitled to certain benefits, which include the authority to supply alcohol to its members and sell it to guests without the need for any member or employee to hold a personal licence, and the absence of a requirement to specify a designated premises supervisor. There are also more limited rights of entry for the police and other authorised persons, as the premises are considered private and not generally open to the public.

  If you want to make a small, low-risk change to your club premises certificate, you may be able to use the minor variation process. This is cheaper and quicker than the full variation application.

  Small changes could include:

  • removing a licensable activity
  • reducing the hours you sell alcohol 
  • making small changes to the layout of your premises 

  If you apply for a minor variation and your application is rejected, you will not be able to appeal. However,  you can reapply using the full variation process.
  
  You may also wish to discuss your application with your local licensing officer before completing the form.

Checklist

1. Complete the application form
2. Pay the fee
3. Plan of premises (where applicable)

You can apply online

£89.00

Where all the requirements relating to the application have been met there is a minimum consultation of 10 working days.

You must advertise your application as part of the consultation, this includes displaying a notice on your premises.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-a-licence/club-licensing/doncaster/change-3

You are required to advertise your application please see ‘advertising requirements’ under additional information

Advertising the application at the premises
Using the Example Advert for Minor Variation Club you must display a notice about your application on the premises to which the application relates. The notice must be displayed for 10 working days. The 10 working days runs from the day on which the application is made to the council.

Do not obscure the notice in any way or make it difficult to read. Others must be able to read the notice from outside your premises. If your premises is within a complex or its own grounds and the public will be unable to view the notice or notices from the exterior of the site then you should also display a notice at the nearest public thoroughfare (such as at the entrance to the complex/site) so the notice is easily read by the passing public.

Once you have sent us your application one of our officers will visit your site to inspect the notice. If it is found that the notice or its positioning does not meet the requirements of the Act then we may ask you to redisplay the notice and we may reset your 10 working day notice period or even return your application. 

Please feel free to contact us before you submit your application to clarify what our requirements will be in this regard so as to reduce the chances of this happening.

Guidance for a Minor Variation

Download (142KB - PDF)

When the licensing authority receives your application they will consider whether the variation could impact adversely on the licensing objectives.

On receipt and whilst considering the application, the licensing authority will consult relevant responsible authorities if there is any doubt about the impact of the variation on the licensing objectives and if they need specialist advice, and take their views into account before reaching a decision (E.g. they may need to consult the environmental health officer on an application with possible public nuisance implications).

You should be aware that in the case of minor variations, there is no right to a hearing (as for a full variation or new application), but licensing authorities must take any relevant representations into account in arriving at a decision. (Representations are only relevant if they clearly relate to the likely effect of the grant of the variation on the promotion of at least one of the licensing objectives.

The licensing authority must wait until this ten working day period has elapsed before determining the application, but must do so at the latest within 15 working days, beginning on the first working day after the authority received the application, with effect either that:

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

If the licensing authority fails to respond to you within 15 days your application will be treated as refused and the authority must return your fee.

If you wish to make a minor change to your club certificate, for example, new club rules or change of address for club secretary. Please submit the below application:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-a-licence/club-licensing/doncaster/change-2