Statement of Licensing Policy - Licensing Act 2003 - 7 January 2026 to 6 January 2031

9.1     It is expected that premises whose primary activity is off-licence sales will not normally be open between 23:00 and 07:00 hours. Applicants wishing to operate beyond 23:00 hours will need to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Licensing Authority, in their operating schedule, that there will be no significant disturbance to members of the public living, working or otherwise engaged in normal activity around the premises concerned. Opening hours beyond 23:00 hours will generally be considered to be more acceptable for premises in commercial or tourist areas with high levels of public transport availability, rather than premises in predominately residential areas.

9.2     When considering applications, in respect of hours of operation, the Licensing Authority will take the following into consideration:

• whether the premises is located in a predominantly retail or entertainment area
• the nature of the proposed activities to be provided in the premises
• the proximity of premises to schools and youth clubs, play areas and so on so that applicants take appropriate steps to ensure that advertising relating to their premises or relating to events at their premises is not displayed at a time when children are likely to be near the premises
• whether there are any arrangements to ensure adequate availability of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles and appropriate places for picking up and setting down passengers
• whether there is an appropriate amount of car parking, readily accessible to the premises, and in places where the parking and use of vehicles will not cause demonstrable adverse impact to local residents
• whether the operating schedule agreed with council officers indicates that the applicant is taking appropriate steps to comply with the licensing objective of preventing public nuisance
• whether the licensed activity, particularly if located in areas of the highest levels of recorded crime, may result in a reduction or increase in crime or antisocial behaviour
• whether the licensed activities are likely to cause adverse impact especially on local residents, and that, if there is a potential to cause adverse impact, appropriate measures will be put in place to prevent it
• whether there will be any increase in the cumulative adverse impact from these or similar activities, on an adjacent residential area

9.3     In the case of shops, stores and supermarkets selling alcohol, the Licensing Authority will normally expect the hours during which alcohol is sold to match the normal trading hours during which other sales take place, in order to reduce the potential for disturbance or disorder.