If a business which has a premises licence is sold or changes
hands, the new owner or owners can apply to have the licence
transferred into their name if they have the consent of the
existing licence holder. If the existing licence holder’s consent
to the transfer cannot be obtained for any reason, please contact
the Licensing Team for advice.
Things to think about before applying for a transfer:
Sale or supply of alcohol
Every premises licence that includes the sale of alcohol must
include a designated premises supervisor (DPS). The DPS must be a
personal licence holder. If you are considering taking on a
premises licence which includes the sale or supply of alcohol you
need to find out if the present DPS is still going to be working at
the premises after the transfer. If the existing DPS is not staying
on then you will need a new DPS before the transfer can be granted.
This may involve another application to ‘vary’ (change) the named
DPS on the licence
Licence conditions
You should familiarise yourself with the licence that is in
force and any conditions attached to the licence. You should do
this before you apply for the transfer, especially if you plan to
ask for the transfer to take immediate effect. Once the transfer is
granted the responsibility to operate the premises licence in
accordance with any conditions that are present on the licence will
pass to you. If you are unsure about the meaning of any of the
conditions, please contact us for advice.
How to apply to transfer a premises licence
Application and consent to transfer forms (new
window) in PDF and Word format are available from the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport website.
Please note that application forms in Word format can
be filled in on your computer and printed off for submission but
completed forms must be signed and submitted to us as hard
copy.
If you want to fill in your application by hand, print out
either a PDF or Word version and complete it using
black ink and block capitals. This is important because
the form will be scanned.
The fee is £23.00 payable to Suffolk Coastal District
Council.
Send one copy of the completed application form and consent to
transfer form to the Council’s Licensing Team and one copy of the
completed forms to the police at the address below:
Licensing Team,
Suffolk Constabulary,
Eastern Area Headquarters,
Norwich Road,
Halesworth
Suffolk IP19 8HJ.
The current premises licence must also be included with the
forms that you send to the Council.
Contact details
For more information and advice please contact:
Licensing Team,
Suffolk Coastal District Council,
Melton Hill,
Woodbridge,
Suffolk IP12 1AU.
Telephone: 01394 444802.
Fax: 01394 385100.
Email:
licensing@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
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