What are temporary event notices?
Temporary event notices (TENs) are a way of providing permission
for small, occasional events at a premises or area (including
outdoor places) where licensable activities are not normally
allowed.
Licensable activities include one or more of the following:
- Retail sale and supply of alcohol (this includes alcohol
supplied as part of an admission ticket, and pay bars at private
functions).
- Provision of 'regulated entertainment' (which includes live and
recorded music, dancing, indoor sporting events, the performance of
plays, and the exhibition of films).
- Provision of hot food or hot drink between 11pm and
5am.
As a rule of thumb, if an event includes any of the above
activities and is open to the general public, it is licensable.
However, there are some exceptions, and we suggest that you ask us
for advice if you are in any doubt about whether the proposed event
needs a temporary event notice.
Common exceptions are garden fetes, bazaars, etc, which are
generally exempt from requiring a licence for regulated
entertainment - so long as the event is not held for private gain.
Music that is incidental to a non licensable activity (e.g. a
fashion show or keep fit class) is also exempted. There are also
exemptions for regulated entertainment when it takes place as part
of a religious service or at places of public religious worship
(e.g. nativity plays during a service anywhere, choral works or a
play in a church even where not part of a service).
There are no exemptions for the sale of alcohol, which will
always require a licence.
Is there a fee?
The fee is £21 each time a temporary event notice is submitted
to the Council.
What are the main rules?
There are very strict limits on temporary event notices:
- There must be no more than 499 people at a TEN event at any one
time (this includes organisers, stewards, performers, etc, as well
as audience and spectators).
- A premises can hold no more than 12 TEN events per calendar
year.
- The maximum length a TEN event can last is 96 hours. However,
the combined duration of TEN events at individual premises must not
exceed 15 days per calendar year.
- Personal licence holders can submit up to 50 temporary event
notices per calendar year.
- Anyone over the age of 18 who is not a personal licence holder
can submit up to 5 temporary event notices per calendar year.
- Multiple temporary event notices can be submitted at the same
time but each event requires a separate notice with a separate fee
payable.
Is there a deadline for submitting a temporary event
notice?
The Licensing Team and the police must receive copies of the
completed notice with at least 10 working days* notice of the
proposed event. Because of the very tight time scales involved we
would welcome the forms as early as possible to ensure the safe and
effective running of the event.
* A 'working day' is defined as any day other than a Saturday, a
Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a day which is a bank
holiday. '10 working days' notice means 10 working days exclusive
of the day on which the event is due to start and the day it is
received by us.
How do I submit a temporary event notice?
The notice can be downloaded or printed off by following
the links below or it can be posted or emailed to you - our contact
details are at the bottom of the page.
Follow this link for help with downloading and opening Word and
PDF documents.
Send two copies of the completed notice (the
original and one photocopy can be used) to the Council’s Licensing
Team accompanied by the fee.
Send one copy (a photocopy can be used) of the
completed notice to the relevant local police sector. The police
sector relates to the location of the premises where an event is
due to take place. A list of the different police sectors can be
viewed or downloaded by following the link below:
How will I know if the temporary event notice has been
granted?
Providing the temporary event notice is approved, the Licensing
Team will return an endorsed copy of the notice to you and a
covering letter confirming that the event can go ahead.
Can anyone object to a temporary event notice?
Only the police may object to a proposed TEN event, if they have
concerns that it could cause crime or disorder, and they must do so
within 48 hours of receiving their copy of the notice. Should this
happen, the person submitting the temporary event notice will be
contacted with a view to mediation to try and resolve any
difficulties identified by the police. If mediation is unsuccessful
the notice will be placed before the Council’s
Licensing Sub-Committee for a decision.
If you are a local resident who has been affected by activities
authorised through a temporary event notice you should refer to our
complaints procedure for advice on what to
do.
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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