Leisure Sector Update: Check Your Licence is Fit for Purpose

Welcome to the Harrison Drury Leisure Sector Newsletter. Your regular update on legal developments across the leisure, hospitality and tourism sector. Our aim is to keep you informed, prepared and ahead of the curve with insights tailored to support you and your business.

Check Your Licence is Fit for Purpose

This month marks the twentieth anniversary of the Licensing Act coming into force and the hospitality sector has evolved vastly in that time, seeing a smoking ban, deregulation, a pandemic and huge shifts in consumer trends.  Given the enduring nature of a premises licence, it can be easy to overlook a regular review of the licence to ensure it has evolved with the way a premises operates.

Routinely, we come across conditions that may have been suitable when they were placed on the licence but are simply unworkable for today.  Examples we have seen include conditions preventing customers from being in external areas after 21:00 (which may have worked prior to the smoking ban, but which caused problems for the modern operating style of the premises) and conditions preventing alcohol being sold without food (which did not cause an issue for the premises when it was a restaurant, but which was unworkable for the evolved wet-led trading style).

At Harrison Drury, we offer peace of mind by undertaking a free audit of your premises licence along with desktop due diligence of your operating style to ensure that your licence is fit for purpose. If you would like more information please click here.

We have a team of solicitors across a range of legal disciplines all with significant experience in supporting businesses in the leisure sector. Meet our leisure sector team to see how our team can help support you. If you wish to subscribe to our leisure newsletter, please do so here.