I would like to increase the number of people allowed in my premises. How do I do this?
It depends where the limitation lies in respect of your occupancy. If the limit is on your liquor licence by way of a condition then you may have to apply for a new liquor licence to have this condition altered. However, some conditions refer to any such figure as the fire authority agrees, so check the licence carefully before any application is made. If the fire authority agrees a new occupancy figure can be applied then you may simply have to make an application for the new occupancy figure to be inserted upon the licence. If the occupancy is set by way of an undertaking then a similar application will need to be made for the undertaking to be altered.If there is no limitation on your liquor licence then you should check any public entertainment licence (PEL) which may be in force. Public entertainment licences always stipulate an occupancy figure. In order to change the figure on the PEL, an application will have to be made to the council to vary the PEL to increase the limit. You should check with the council the procedure to make this application as it does vary from council to council and it is very likely that a copy of the application will need to be served upon both the police and the fire officer. If any of these applications refer to any structural alterations then you must obtain the court's consent before you carry any works out.