Licensing terms for expanding your business

In a recent reflective moment, I started thinking about all that can be done without changing the premises licence and even if that licence does not specifically on the face of it allow the activity.

I have come up with the following:

• I can play background music (this is not regulated entertainment)
• I can have live or recorded music until 11pm subject to certain requirements – this means anything from a harpist to a five piece rock band, a DJ, karaoke or a jukebox
• I can put on a play (even “ A play what I wrote”, thank you Ernie Wise) and a performance of dance, again subject to certain requirements
• I can have pub games and matches, for example, pool, darts, table football etc.
• I can have live sport on TV (subject to supplier and copyright regulation)
• I can provide hot food and drink until 11pm
• I can provide soft drinks and (increasingly trendy) I can do low and no alcohol at 0.5% alcohol or below
• If I have on sales of alcohol only on my premises licence then the Business & Planning Act 2020 will automatically give me off sales, again subject to certain requirements which would allow me off sales of alcohol for takeaway and delivery service. Also I can sell to customers outside either on land I own or have rights over or to customers on the highway for which I would need separate permission for tables and chairs
• I can have private parties – no permission is required and I can charge for entry, for example, on New Year’s Eve, without any separate permission if I choose to do so
• I can hold community events, coffee mornings, quizzes, have comedians stand up etc.

There is therefore a lengthy list (I may have missed some) where it is possible to expand the business without any form of regulatory permission.

• James Anderson ​is a partner at Poppleston Allen​​