November 2025 will mark 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 the modern operation issues) 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.