Licensing

Whether considering dealing with protecting an existing late-hours trading licence against new residential that has appeared near your venue or seeking to extend hours, you will likely need to consider the noise impact on the surrounding residents and how you are proactively preventing nuisance from occurring. With the Agent of Change being adopted by the Government, you may also wish to make submissions to protect your licence against residential development. Should the worse happen, and you need intervention if you have caused formal complaints to avoid action and avoid your licence being at risk of Review, acoustic evidence and advice is key. Sustainable Acoustics offers assessments, training at the National Institute of Licensing events, and expert evidence if it all goes wrong to get your noise control back on track. 

Equally, if you are representing residents that have a problem with a venue, and the Local Authority is not acting quickly enough, we offer the ability to collect independent evidence which can be used by you at a Review.    

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A range of services which may suit your particular issue, are included in the following levels of service:

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Level 1: Due diligence check-up of existing procedures (making sure the tailored approach for the premises meets best practice) – this requires only a desktop study and a teleconference. This is an entry-level service and is, therefore, a cost-effective way to check that you have minimised the risks of failed applications or lost hours of trading.

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Level 2: Daytime Site visit and meeting check-up - a Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics will attend the premises to inspect and meet with you – they will provide independent expert advice on how best to protect your licence or how best to maximise your chances for an application to extend hours. This will be captured in a letter, and is the second level of service, remaining cost-effective.

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Level 3: Intervention through the liaison with local Authorities on matters of noise complaints, where they are received, to reduce the risk of a Review or formal action being taken. This may often require a conversation between experts to establish the detail of issues that have arisen and to interpret those into agreeable solutions. This will be captured in a letter of recommendation to assist you in understanding both the issues and the solutions, options and risks. This is the third level of service but does not include survey work, and remains as a cost-effective option to deal with existing problems and ultimately protect the licence.

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Level 4: A detailed noise survey to quantify the actual impact and identify who else may be responsible for noise in the area - preparation of evidence should the licence be at risk or a case be needed to challenge the Local Authority at a hearing. This is the fourth level of service, which requires more involvement on the ground and input at expert witness level. This will be tailored to the needs of the issue and uses an expert Acoustic Consultant.

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Level 5: Expert witness services as necessary, including attendance at hearings and provision of verbal evidence to support the written reports. This is the top level of service and will be tailored in accordance with the legal matter. An expert Acoustic Consultant, who is familiar with licensing law, will be available to support you throughout the legal case.