Reviews under the Licensing Act

Where the operation of a Premises Licence or Club Premises Certificate is causing harm to any of the licensing objectives (preventing crime and disorder; public safety; preventing public nuisance; protecting children from harm), a responsible authority or an interested party may apply to the council for a review of the licence or certificate.

Examples of issues which may trigger a review are problems with underage drinking on the premises, or nuisance being caused to local residents from excessively loud music.

Before you apply for a review

Before you apply for a review, you should try to resolve the matter informally with the licence holder. Tell them about the problems you are experiencing and give them the opportunity to resolve the problem.

If this is not successful, we recommend that you keep a diary of incidents of noise or anti-social behaviour. It is also helpful to report the problem to the council or the police, even if action cannot be taken at the time.

How do I apply for a review?

To apply for a review of a premises licence, you need to complete a review application form and send it to us at: Licensing Section, Denbighshire County Council, PO Box 62, Ruthin LL15 9AZ.  If you have any supporting documents (e.g. diary of incidents) please enclose these with your form.

Application for the review of a premises licence or club (PDF, 160KB)

You must also send a copy of the form and any accompanying documents to the licence holder and each of the responsible authorities. You must do this on the same day you send the application to us.

Responsible Authorities for Denbighshire County Council (PDF, 164KB)

What happens next?

The premises licence holder, responsible authorities and interested parties can make representations to us about your application, and we will hold a hearing to consider them. We will tell you when the hearing will take place and what you need to do to prepare for it.

At the hearing, the Licensing Sub Committee will decide to take one of the following courses of action: 

• Decide that no action is necessary 
• Issue an informal warning and/or recommend improvements within a particular time 
• Modify the conditions of the licence e.g. reduce the opening hours of the premises or require door supervisors and/or CCTV 
• Exclude a licensable activity from the scope of the licence 
• Remove the designated premises supervisor 
• Suspend the licence for a period not exceeding three months 
• Revoke the licence.

The applicant for the review, the premises licence holder and any person who submitted a representation all have a right of appeal against our decision.