Alcohol licence guide

Premises, apart from members clubs, must have a designated premises manager who must be a personal licence holder. Premises cannot be operated without a designated premises manager. A person can only be the designated premises manager of one premise at a time. If your designated premises manager leaves for any reason, you must notify the Licensing Board within one week or you will not be able to continue selling alcohol.

Committee licence holders and Club premises - where a premises licence is held by a committee of a sporting or social club, notification must be made within 14 days of any change of office bearers to the Licensing Board and Police Scotland.  Please complete the Office Bearers notification form and email it to licensing@eastlothian.gov.uk. 

Download the Office Bearers notification form

Application

Download premises licence application guidance

To apply for a premises licence, you must complete and send us:

your application form

your layout plan

an operating plan

Section 50 certificates from Planning, Building Standards (please contact environment@eastlothian.gov.uk for both) and Food Hygiene (ehts@eastlothian.gov.uk)

the appropriate fee

Once we have a valid application, we will notify:

• neighbours within 4 metres of the premises
• Police Scotland
• Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
• the local Community Council
• council departments such as Building Standards, Environmental Health, Planning, Environmental Protection

You will be sent a Site Notice for you to display at or near the premises for a continuous period of at least 21 days. You must return a Compliance Notice confirming that the notice has been displayed after that time.

We will advertise the application on the East Lothian Council website, with details of the last date by which objections and representations have to be made. Any person may make an objection to an application. We will give you a copy of any objections and representations.

Any person may make representations to the Licensing Board about an application:

• supporting the application
• objecting to the application
• asking for modifications to the operating plan
• asking for conditions to be imposed if the application is granted

All applications for Premises Licences will be considered by the Licensing Board and you will be invited to speak to your application.

Social and Sporting Clubs

All clubs will require a premises licence, under the 2005 Act if they wish to sell alcohol. Under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 clubs are subject to much of the same regulations as other licensed premises.

Download information on Club Premises changing to an Open Premises Licence

Download Information for Clubs

Fees

Fees are based on the rateable value of the premises.

Further information can be found here.

Premises Licence application advertisements

East Lothian Licensing Board are required to advertise applications for:

• Provisional Premises Licence
• Premises Licence
• Major Variations

for a period of 21 days.  Objections or Representations can be lodged with the Licensing Authority (licensing@eastlothian.gov.uk) up to 28 days from the date of publication.  You can find the deadline date on the advertisement.

**Please note: application and annual fees are non-refundable**