Licensing - How We Charge

How do we charge?

Our fees cover the legal work required to complete the following two types of application:

Applications for a new Premises Licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003; and
Applications to vary a Premises Licence (commonly known as a ‘full variation’) under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Hourly rates

	£ excl VAT at 20%	£ incl VAT at 20%
Partner	£350.00	£420.00
Licensing Assistant	£150.00 to £220.00	£180 to £264.00
Trainee Solicitor	£150 to £165.00	£180 to £198.00

Fee Scale

Under the Licensing Act 2003 the procedures to apply for a full variation of an existing Licence or for a new Premises Licence are very similar and consequently the fee estimates set out below apply to either application.

We are not able to provide a fixed fee for applications in advance of obtaining specifics concerning the planned licensing project as each proposed “Premises” to be licensed is unique in terms of:

brand;
layout;
proposed licensable activities;
location.

The following fee estimates have been provided using our extensive knowledge and experience of working on licensing projects for more than 30 years. Many of those projects are, however, exceptional (e.g. we are known for our expertise in licensing large, multiple use venues such as football and rugby stadia, racecourses and entertainment arenas).

Please note that the following fee estimates do not relate to applications for a “minor” variation (pursuant to section 41A of Licensing Act 2003) where the planned variations fall within that section of the Licensing Act 2003; the fees in relation to such an application are likely to be significantly lower than the fee estimates below.

Application type	£ excl VAT at 20%	£ incl VAT at 20%
Simple (based on 6-24 hours work – the latter being when attendance is required at a Committee Hearing (allowing for one day))	£2,040 to £8,160	£2,448 to £9,792
Medium Complexity (based on 22-52 hours work – the latter being when attendance is required at a Committee Hearing (allowing for one day))	£7,480.00 to £17,680	£8,976 to £21,216
High Complexity (based on 45-85 hours work – the latter being when attendance is required at a Committee Hearing (allowing for one day))	£15,300 to £29,000	£18,360 to £34,800

The different levels of complexity are outlined here (PDF). In a very complicated application, the maximum fees can be considerably higher than the upper range listed above depending on the amount of time taken to prepare and present the application, where for example:

the venue has a substantial capacity;
the venue is multi-use (e.g. for sport and music concerts); or
if multiple objections are lodged.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. Save for Premises with large capacities (over 5,000), we handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Please note that further disbursements may be payable, depending on how the application is to be issued and whether additional plans need to be obtained to support the application, but we will be able to advise further when taking your full instructions.

Application fee charged by the Licensing Authority - determined with reference to the rateable value of the proposed “Premises” and with reference to the planned capacity.
Advertising fee: These will vary depending on the publication where the application needs to be advertised. They are typically circa £1,000 excl VAT at 20% (£1,200 incl VAT at 20%).

How long will my matter take?

Simple applications usually take circa 12 weeks from receipt of your instructions. This is based on a simple application and all the necessary documents in support of the application being provided promptly by you.

If your matter is more complex (falling within the medium or highly complex categories) considerable preparatory work may be needed (including possibly one or more preliminary site visits/meetings) before the formal application is issued and/or a preliminary “pre-app” application is first concluded. Such preparatory work (for example for a stadium or other substantial multi-use building) can take 6 months or more to carry out, as this work is often heavily dependent on you providing considerable documentation (such as a draft Operations Manual/SOPs/EOPs etc.). Such complex matters can therefore take between 6 months to a year to complete even though the statutory period for the formal application will only last approximately 3 months (from issue to conclusion of a Licensing Authority Committee Hearing, if required).