Licensing contact us and application advice service
Licensing Contact Information
The Licensing Department can be contacted by:
- Email - licensing@reigate-banstead.gov.uk
- Telephone - 01737 276 672, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm or Wednesday 2pm-4pm. Our lines are closed Wednesday mornings and at times outside those stated previously.
- Post - Licensing Department, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, Town Hall, Castlefield Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0SH
Licensing Application Advice Service
Licensing offers a chargeable application advice service that is aimed at supporting your licensing application(s), offering bespoke advice, and training for a range of licensing relating matters. We aim to help you anticipate and fix any problems which may arise during the application process, however our advice cannot prejudge the outcome of any application placed before the Licensing Sub-Committee.
Our pre-application advice service is flexible to your needs and typically offers:
- advice and assistance with completing application forms and associated paperwork,
- taxi driver knowledge test support, practice questions, focus on specific areas that you may have failed on in the past, learn and practice map reading, calculating and giving correct change or revising legislation and council policies,
- advice on appropriate conditions taking into account the location, type and style of the operation intended at the premises,
- advice on drawing up plans to accompany the application in accordance with the relevant regulations,
- assistance with completing the statutory notices and advertisements and ensuring statutory notices are correctly on display,
- on-site visit(s) to assess suitability of premises for the proposed activity,
Fees & charges
The cost of the service varies according to the level of advice required;
- Pre-submission validation checks to ensure there are no errors or omissions in any necessary documentation which would invalidate the application. By telephone (30 mins) £68
- Pre application and process advice* By telephone or in person at the Council offices (60 mins) £92
- On site visit (up to 60 mins on site) to the premises before the application is submitted to offer advice on suitability, technical matters, assistance with legal compliance and recommendations for best practice. Verbal advice only £140 (more complex/ larger premises may need to be quoted additional hours in advance)
- Preliminary application and document check with consultation, site visit and handwritten report £177 (more complex/ larger premises may need to be quoted additional hours in advance)
If you wish to book an appointment please email your request to licensing@reigate-banstead.gov.uk. In the email subject line state 'licensing application advice service booking' and provide further information about what you would like assistance with in the body of the email. You can submit any paperwork including draft applications with the email. After checking officer availability, we will contact you to agree the appointment time and request payment in advance over the phone.
*If an initial officer assessment deems the request to be substantial in nature, e.g. large event, multiple premises, and likely to take longer than the alloted time, then we will provide a quote for undertaking this assistance.
Terms of Service
The cost of the service is set at the levels listed above. Payment is required in advance of the appointment. The cost is generally per person (notably for knowledge test assistance) and is non-refundable. If you miss an appointment or are more than 15 minutes late, the appointment will be cancelled, and no fee is refundable. Some appointments may take less time but the same fixed charge applies. If you require more than the alloted time then another appointment must be made.
Our assistance isn't just limited to our Borough, we can provide advice for applications to other authorities.
We reserve the right to withhold offering this service, or to cancel or change the appointment time, for operational reasons. If we need to cancel or change the appointment you will be entitled to a full refund.
Disclaimer
Any advice given will be from the council’s Licensing Team, acting in their roles as Responsible Authorities.
With regard to any pre-application advice, the written confirmation will state that pre-application advice will not give applicants any exemptions from the licensing process. Responsible Authorities, including the Noise and Nuisance and the Licensing Teams, may still make a representation against the application and the case may still need to be heard at Licensing Sub-Committee for a decision to be made.
The advice given will not include views from other responsible authorities such as the Police, Fire Authority, etc. Determining any application that is subject to representations will be the function of the Licensing Sub-Committee who will consider the application and the representations on its own merits and determine the application accordingly on the basis of whether it promotes the licensing objectives.