Temporary event notices

If you wish to carry out a ‘licensable activity’ on unlicensed premises you will require a TEN.  You’ll also need a TEN if a particular licensable activity is not included in the terms of your existing premises licence, for example, holding a wedding reception at a community premises or the sale of alcohol later than the hours currently permitted by your licence (extension).

The process of applying is formally known as ‘serving’ a TEN.  A standard TEN must be given at least 10 clear working days before the event.  A late TEN must be given between 9 and 5 working days before the event.  These days do not include the day of the event or the day the authority receives the application. 

You must be 18 years or older to give a TEN and if you are a personal licence holder, you can give a maximum of 50 TENs per year (10 of which can be "late").  If you do not hold a personal licence you can give a maximum of five TENs per year (2 of which can be "late").  
 
A working day is classed as any day other than a Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a day, which is a bank holiday in England and Wales.
 
Please note - A TEN served on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday) is not received by the authority until the next working day, which becomes the day of service and cannot be included in your calculations of working days.

Your event must involve no more than 499 people (including staff running and working at the event) at any one time and last no more than 168 hours (7 days) with a minimum of 24 hours between events.

  • The maximum aggregate duration of the periods covered by Temporary Event Notices at any individual premises (21 days) for event periods (or any part of those periods).
  • The number of times a Temporary Event Notice may be given in respect of any particular premises (15 times) for event periods.

 If applying by post, the premises user must send:

  • at least one copy of the temporary event notice (TEN) with the relevant fee to the Licensing Authority ;
  • one copy to the Chief Officer of Police; and
  • one copy to the Environmental Health Team.

If applying online via Gov.UK or by any electronic means Tandridge District Council (TDC) is responsible for sending the relevant copy to the Chief Officer of Police and Environmental Health Team.
 
Late TEN’s were introduced to assist premises users who are required for reasons outside of their control to, for example, change the venue for an event at short notice. A late TEN given less than 5 clear working days before the event to which it relates will be returned as void and the activities to which it relates will not be authorised.
 
You are advised that by serving a late TEN you run the risk that your event may not be able to take place should the licensing authority receive an objection notice to a late TEN. The Licensing Authority are required to serve a counter notice no later than 24 hours before the event and the event will not then be permitted.

The police and environmental health team objection notice must be given before the end of the third working day following the day they received the temporary event notice. They can object to the temporary event notice on the basis of any of the four licensing objectives.
 
If there is an objection from either the Police or Environmental Health team to a late TEN, the event will not go ahead. In these circumstances there is no scope for a hearing or the attaching of existing conditions.
 
Such cases might arise because of concerns about the scale, location, timing of the event or concerns about public nuisance.  However, in most cases, where (for example) alcohol is supplied away from licensed premises at a temporary bar under the control of a personal licence holder, (for example, at weddings or small social or sporting events) this should not give rise to the use of these powers.

Each of the police and environmental health team (as an authorised person) have the right under sections 109(5) and (6) of the 2003 Act to request the premises user to produce the TEN for examination. If the police do not intervene when a TEN is given, they will still be able to rely on their powers of closure under Part 8 of the 2003 Act should disorder or noise nuisance be expected or arise.
 
If the police or environmental health team believe that allowing the premises to be used in accordance with the TEN will undermine the licensing objectives, they must give the premises user and the licensing authority an objection notice.
 
The police or local authority exercising environmental health functions may contact the premises user to discuss their objections and try to come to an agreement which will allow the proposed licensable activities to proceed. The TEN can be modified. If there is no agreement, the licensing authority must hold a hearing to consider the notice.

Where permitted limits are exceeded the Licensing Authority will reject the application by issuing a Counter Notice to the premises user, a copy of which will also be sent to the Chief Officer of Police.
 
Where a standard TEN was given, the licensing authority must consider any objection at a hearing before a counter notice can be issued.

If the licensing authority receives an objection notice from the police or environmental health team that is not withdrawn, it must (in the case of a standard TEN only) hold a hearing to consider the objection (unless all parties agree that this is unnecessary).
 
The Licensing Sub-Committee may decide to allow the licensable activities to go ahead as stated in the notice.  If the notice is in connection with licensable activities at licensed premises, the licensing authority may also impose one or more of the existing licence conditions on the TEN (insofar as such conditions are not inconsistent with the event) if it considers that this is appropriate for the promotion of the licensing objectives.
 
If the authority decides to impose conditions, it must give notice to the premises user which includes a statement of conditions (a "notice (statement of conditions)"), and provide a copy to each relevant party.
 
Alternatively, it can decide that the event would undermine the licensing objectives and should not take place. In this case, the licensing authority must give a counter notice.

At any time before a hearing is held or dispensed with, the Chief Officer of Police and/or Environmental Health Team may, with the agreement of the premises user, modify the temporary event notice by making changes to the notice returned to the premises user. The objection notice is therefore withdrawn from the time the temporary event notice is modified. 

Where a temporary event notice acknowledged under section 102 is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, the premises user may apply to the licensing authority which acknowledged the notice (or, if there is more than one such authority, any of them) for a copy of the notice.
 
No application may be made under this section more than one month after the end of the event period specified in the notice.
 
The application must be accompanied by the £10.50 fee.
 
Where a licensing authority receives an application under this section, it must issue the premises user with a copy of the notice (certified by the authority to be a true copy) if it is satisfied that:
 
(a)    the notice has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, and
(b)    where it has been lost or stolen, the premises user has reported that loss or theft to the police.
 
The copy issued under section 110 must be a copy of the notice in the form it existed immediately before it was lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed.
 
The Licensing Act applies in relation to a copy issued under section 110 as it applies in relation to an original notice.

Applicants must be over 18 years of age to submit a Temporary Event Notice (TEN).
 
A person responsible for a temporary event may only give a set number of temporary event notices:

  • 50 times per calendar year for a personal licence holder.
  • 5 times per calendar year for a non-personal licence holder.

The same premises cannot be used on more than 20 occasions in any calendar year, and are subject to the overall aggregate of 26 days, irrespective of the number of occasions on which they have been used.  Subject to the temporary amendments detailed above.
 
A standard TEN must be given at least ten clear working days before the event. These days do not include the day of the event or the day the authority receives the application.  

A late TEN must be given between 9 and 5 clear working days before the event.  These days do not include the day of the event or the day the authority receives the application.  

The Licensing Authority would prefer to receive TEN’s submitted at least 21 days in advance of the event but no earlier than 6 months.
 
The maximum length of time a temporary event may last must not exceed 168 hours (7 days).
 
There must be a minimum of 24 hours between events at the same premises.
 
The maximum number of people attending at any one time must not exceed 499.

In any other circumstances, a premises licence or club premises certificate would be required for the period of the event involved.

The TEN costs £21. You will need a debit or credit card to pay the fee online.  This fee is a submission fee and therefore is non-refundable.

Apply online for a Temporary event notice via the GOV.UK website.

If you prefer to apply by post, please download the Postal Temporary Event Notice, follow the instructions and return the completed form and correct fee to the Council Offices, 8 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0BT.  Cheques should be made payable to Tandridge District Council.

To avoid delay to or refusal of postal applications, please make sure the correct postage is attached.

A temporary event notice may be withdrawn by the premises user giving the relevant licensing authority a notice to that effect no later than 24 hours before the beginning of the event period specified in the temporary event notice. The fee already paid will not be refunded.

1. This section applies whenever premises are being used for one or more licensable activities which are or are purported to be permitted temporary activities by virtue of this Part.
 
2. The premises user must either:
(a) secure that a copy of the temporary event notice is prominently displayed at the premises, or
(b) meet the requirements of subsection (3).
 
3. The requirements of this subsection are that the premises user must:
(a) secure that the temporary event notice is kept at the premises in:
(i) his custody, or
(ii) in the custody of a person who is present and working at the premises and whom he has nominated for the purposes of this section, and
(b) where the temporary event notice is in the custody of a person so nominated, secure that a notice specifying that fact and the position held at the premises by that person is prominently displayed at the premises.
 
4. The premises user commits an offence if he fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with subsection (2).
 
5. Where:
(a) the temporary event notice is not displayed as mentioned in subsection (2)(a), and
(b) no notice is displayed as mentioned in subsection (3)(b), a constable or authorised officer may require the premises user to produce the temporary event notice for examination.
 
6. Where a notice is displayed as mentioned in subsection (3)(b), a constable or authorised officer may require the person specified in that notice to produce the temporary event notice for examination.
 
7. An authorised officer exercising the power conferred by subsection (5) or (6) must, if so requested, produce evidence of his authority to exercise the power.
 
8. A person commits an offence if he fails, without reasonable excuse, to produce a temporary event notice in accordance with a requirement under subsection (5) or (6).
 
9.  A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.
 
10. In this section “authorised officer” has the meaning given in section 108(5).

You could be fined if you make any false statements in your application, or face prosecution if you breach the terms of the notice.

If you don't have a TEN and carry out an activity that you should have a licence for (or allow your premises to be used for one), you can be fined, sent to prison for up to six months, or both.

For more information, please visit the GOV.UK website or email the Licensing Department licensing@tandridge.gov.uk or call 01883 732794

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