Community premises may apply under the Licensing Act 2003 to disapply the DPS requirement, transferring responsibility for alcohol sales to the premises’ management committee.
To succeed, the premises must genuinely operate for community benefit, and the committee must demonstrate strong governance and safe alcohol management controls.
Under section 19 of the Licensing Act 2003, any premises authorised to sell alcohol must normally have:
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a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) who holds a valid personal licence, and
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a requirement that alcohol sales are authorised by a personal licence holder.
Where the mandatory DPS requirement is disapplied, an alternative mandatory condition applies instead.
The premises licence holder (usually the management committee) becomes directly responsible for authorising alcohol sales.
Which premises can apply for disapplication?
Only community-type premises may apply to remove the DPS requirement. These include:
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church halls or chapel halls
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village, parish, or community halls
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similar community-focused multi-use buildings.
A premises will be considered “community” if:
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it is genuinely available for community benefit most of the time,
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used by a wide range of local groups, and
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operates in a way that benefits the local community as a whole.
Premises mainly hired for private functions only or accessible only via membership generally do not qualify.
Who can apply?
Applications must be made by a formally constituted management committee or board of individuals responsible for the community premises.
Committees must be transparent, accountable, and capable of overseeing alcohol sales responsibly.
Types of applications
Depending on the premises’ existing licence status, the following applications may be made:
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replace the DPS requirement with the alternative condition on an existing alcohol licensed premises
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apply for a new premises licence, including alcohol supply under the alternative mandatory condition
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vary an existing licence to add alcohol supply and remove the DPS requirement simultaneously.
If the licence is currently held by an individual, you may need to transfer it to the management committee at the same time.
Application form
You must first register for the portal and then complete the online application form. At the time of application, you will pay the fee of £23 and be required to upload the following documents:
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evidence of the management structure (constitution, rules, hiring agreements)
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explanation of how alcohol sales will be supervised.
Application approval
If the Chief Officer of police for the area where the premises are situated believes the application would undermine the crime prevention objective, they must notify us within 14 days. We will then hold a hearing to determine the application.
If we don’t receive any such notice, your application is automatically approved, and:
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the DPS requirement and the requirement for alcohol sales to be authorised by a personal licence holder are removed
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responsibility transfers fully to the management committee.