A Club Premises Certificate is available only to members' clubs.
A 'qualifying club' may hold a Club Premises Certificate. These qualifying clubs tend to be run in a more restricted way than other licensed premises, as they usually have membership systems (must have a minimum of 25 members), club rules and a constitution, so they can enjoy certain benefits under the Licensing Act.
A Club Premises Certificate is a permanent licence granted in respect of a premises occupied by and habitually used for the purposes of a club and can authorise:
- supply alcohol to members and guests on the premises to which the certificate relates without the need for any member or employee to hold a Personal Licence
- the provision of regulated entertainment (including plays, films, indoor sports, music and dancing) and
- the provision of late-night refreshment (hot food and/or drink supplied between 11pm and 5am) to its club members without additional authorisation required.
- more limited rights of entry for the Police and authorised person because the premises are considered private and not generally open to the public.
This type of licence only allows authorised activities to be carried on for the benefit of club members and their guests.
Who Can Apply?
To qualify for a Club Premises Certificate, applicants must meet a number of requirements, which are set out in the Licensing Act 2003. A 'qualifying club' is one where the club and its assets are for the mutual benefit of its members.
To be a 'qualifying club', the club must:
- have at least 25 members
- have a gap of at least two days between a prospective member applying to join (or being nominated) and being admitted to the club. Instant membership is not permitted.
- be established and conducted in 'good faith'. The way the club is financed and ran determines this.
- alcohol is not supplied to members on the premises other than by or on behalf of the club.
- the purchase of alcohol for the club and the supply of alcohol by the club, are managed by a Committee who are members of the club, are 18 years old or above, and are elected by members of the club.
A qualifying club should not be confused with proprietary clubs, which are clubs run commercially by individuals, partnerships or businesses for profit. These require a Premises Licence.
Private Hire of the Club
A Club Premises Certificate alone does not authorise sales of alcohol by retail or the provision of regulated entertainment to the general public and in most circumstances this will prevent the hire of a club premises to non-members for private functions that involve the carrying on of licensable activities.
Club Premises Certificates provide that alcohol can only be supplied to;
- members of the club,
- associate members of the club or
- guests of the club.
Whilst you can hire function space to non members, they cannot benefit from the activities authorised by the Club Premises Certificate (the supply of alcohol, provision of regulated entertainment etc).
There are two ways in which your premises can be used by non-members for functions for ‘licensable activities’ including the sale of alcohol to non-members. You may choose to apply for a Premises Licence or may consider private hire by way of Temporary Event Notice.
How to apply?
Applications can be made for a new certificate or a variation of the hours or activities of an existing certificate. Each application will be different depending on the type and number of activities applied for.
An application must be made on the correct form Application form - Club Premises Certificate to the relevant licensing authority that the qualifying club is situated in. Guidance to assist you with your application can be found here Club Premises Certificate Guidance - Home Office
When you apply for a Club Premises Certificate you must provide the following with your completed application form:
Club Declaration Form
Club Premises Certificate Declaration Form - a 'club declaration form' MUST accompany your application for a Club Premises Certificate. This form is a declaration that your Club meets 'qualifying club' status, as there are three sets of questions relating to club rules or the arrangements of the club that will allow the Licensing Authority to determine whether the club rules meet the conditions of a 'qualifying club' under the Licensing Act 2003.
Operating Schedule
The operating schedule, which forms part of the application form, explains how you propose to operate the business and promote the four licensing objectives:
- Prevention of Crime and Disorder
- Prevention of Public Nuisance
- Public Safety
- Protection of children from harm.
- It should include
It should include:
- what activities will take place
- the proposed hours
- the supply of alcohol and whether it will take place, on or off the Club Premises.
- It should take into account the type, size, location and opening hours of the Club.
Please be aware that what you write in your operating schedule will be used to produce conditions that will be attached to your licence so you should make sure that the steps you are suggesting are realistic and within your control. Once the Club Premises Certificate is granted with conditions attached requiring the implementation of such steps, the conditions will be enforceable in law and it will be a criminal offence to fail to comply with them.
Before completing your operating schedule you are strongly advised to read the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy 2003 - 2021 -2026 (alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment) which gives clear guidance on our policies and expectations.
Draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026 -2031
The policy is to be reviewed for 2026 -2031 and the draft policy for consultation can be found here Draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2003 -2026 -2031 (alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment)
Any comments are to be received within the Licensing Section by 5.00 pm on Friday 1st August 2025. Any comments received after this time and date will not be accepted.
Plans of the Club Premises Certificate
All applications for a Club Premises Certificate must include a plan. The plan must be clear and legible in all respects and must show:
- the boundary of the building, including any external and internal walls and, if different, the perimeter of the premises.
- points of access to and egress i.e. doors.
- location of escape routes from the premises.
- the area within the premise to be used for each licensable activity.
- fixed structures including furniture and temporarily fixed objects, such as seating, which may affect escape routes.
- location and height of any stage or raised area relative to the floor.
- location of any steps, stairs, elevators or lifts.
- location of all toilets.
- location and type of any fire safety and other safety equipment,
- location of a kitchen, if any, on the premises.
The plan may include a legend, through which the matters mentioned above are illustrated with symbols and colours.
Application Fee
The fee is based on the non-domestic rateable value of the premises. You must include the correct fee with your application. You can find details of your non-domestic rateable value at the Valuation Office Agency Website: Find a business rates valuation - GOV.UK.
Annual Fee
An annual fee is payable by the holder of a Club Premises Certificates every year, on the anniversary of the grant date of the licence . The fee is based on the non-domestic rateable value of the premises. Failure to pay the annual fee may result in suspension of the licence and all licensable activities having to stop, until such time as the fee is paid
Notifying Responsible Authorities
If you submit your application electronically to Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC), the Licensing Section will forward your application and any accompanying documents to the Responsible Authorities on your behalf.
If you submit your application and accompanying documents as a hard copy to DDDC via the post or in person, you must submit a full copy of the application and all the accompanying documents to each of the Responsible Authorities and must ensure that they all receive them on the same day. If you do not do this, your application will be invalid.
Advertising your Application
The Licensing Act legislation requires you to advertise your application in a local newspaper and with a site notice(s).
Local Newspaper
The newspaper notice must be published in a local newspaper, circulating in the area of the premises, on at least one occasion during the period of ten working days starting on the day after the day on which the application was given. A copy of the newspaper advertisement, showing the date of the newspaper, must be sent to the licensing office.
Site Notices
You must advertise your application at the premises.
The advertisement of the licence is paramount and the strict legal criteria must be met, failure to do so may result in any licence granted being invalidated.
A notice must be displayed prominently at or on the premises to which the application relates; detailing the licensable activities, days and times, as applied for.
The advert notice must be printed on to pale blue paper that is equal to or larger than A4 printed legibly in black in a font of a size equal to or larger than font 16. It muse be displayed prominently at the premises from the start of the consultation period. The notice must face outwards so that it is clearly visible to anyone passing by the premises and can be easily read. It can also (not instead of) be displayed on nearby lampposts if the premises is off the beaten track.In the case of a premises covering an area of more than 50 metres square, a further notice in the same form and subject to the same requirements is to be placed at every 50 metres along the external perimeter of the premises abutting any highway.
The notice must be displayed for a minimum of 28 days starting on the day after the day on which the application was given to the Licensing Authority. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the notices remain up on display for the full 28 day consultation period.
What happens next ?
We will check that:
- the application is correctly completed.
- that the Responsible Authorities have a copy.
- that the application has been advertised correctly.
If there is a problem with the application, the Licensing Section will contact you for further information or return the application (or part of it) for your attention. Until such time as any problems are resolved your application is not considered valid and the consultation period will not start.
Determination Of Applications
There is a statutory 28 day consultation period during which representations can be made both in favour, or against an application. If we receive no representations within the 28 days, the application will be granted as applied for, subject to the conditions offered in your operating schedule.
What Happens if Representations are Received?
Where we receive relevant representations, a hearing of the Council's Licensing Committee will be held to decide on the application (unless all parties agree that a hearing is not necessary). You will receive details and notification of the hearing. We will tell you about the arrangements for the hearing.
The Decision
After the committee has heard all parties, it will make its decision. The Licensing Committee may:
- grant the licence as applied for
- grant the licence but modify the conditions of the licence,or
- reduce the hours of licensable activity
- reject the whole or part of the application
This decision is usually made at the time of the hearing. This will be confirmed in writing with the reasons for the decision along with information on what you need to do if you want to appeal.
Appeals
Both the applicant and anyone making representations can appeal to the local magistrates' court if they are dissatisfied with the decision.
Decision Made
Once your licence is granted, the Club Premises Certificate Summary (entitled PART B) must be prominently displayed on the premises and a copy of the full licence kept on the premises available for inspection. If you lose the certificate you can apply for a copy by writing to us and enclosing the required fee. We will issue you with a replacement licence as soon as possible and in any event within 14 days.
Changes to the licence
The holder of a Club Premises Certificates must, as soon as reasonably practicable, notify the Council of any changes to the following -
- any details that appear on the certificate
- change to the premises name
- change of name of the club or changes to club rules
- change of registered address of the club
- alterations to timings of licensable activities or opening hours
- addition or removal of licensable activities
- addition or removal of conditions
- changes to the building/plan
When returning the licence document for amendment ALL sections MUST be returned with the appropriate application form and relevant fee.
