There have been a number of alterations made to the club licensing regulations and the main amendments are highlighted below:
Sporting Clubs – Commenced 6 April 2022
This section deals with extending an area of a sporting club authorised to supply
intoxicating liquor.
New Article 15A in the Clubs Order (Extension authorisations for sporting clubs) allows
police to authorise, in writing, a sporting club to extend the area of its premises which
is registered to supply intoxicating liquor for the purpose of holding a function.
The function must be likely to attract more people than could be accommodated in the
registered club premises, and the application to the police must include a plan showing
the area of the proposed extension.
The extended area will be treated as part of the registered club premises for the
duration of the authorisation and therefore the function will be subject to the conditions
set out in Article 30 (Functions in registered clubs) of the Licensing Order.
No more than 6 authorisations may be granted in any year. An authorisation may
exceed 1 day only in exceptional circumstances, determined by the police, and must
not exceed 5 days.
Consent required for alterations to premises – commencing on 1
October 2022
Section 29 inserts new Article 12A to the Clubs Order, bringing it in line with Article 31
of the Licensing Order. This means that a registered club will be required to obtain the
consent of a court before making certain specified alterations to its premises.
If such alterations are made to the club without the approval of the court, the court may
order the club to restore the premises to their original condition, as far as practicable,
within a specified period.
Failure to comply with a court order to restore the premises to their original condition
carries a fine of up to £5,000 for the club and every official of the club, or up to 6
months imprisonment, or both.
A registered club will also be required to notify the court of any such alteration required
by order of a lawful authority.
Failure to notify the court of in advance of the alteration being made, where it is by
order of a lawful authority, carries a fine of up to £500 for the club and every official of
the club.