Licensees with letting rooms outraged at licence plans

Licensees who run hotels are up in arms because they are being told to provide new plans for their entire property - including bedrooms and car parks - as part of their application for a premises licence.

Jeff Mallinson, who runs the Sparrow Hawk Hotel in Burnley, Lancashire, was outraged after his local council asked him to include his entire premises and not just the bar area in his new plans.

He claims it will take him months to complete all the necessary paperwork and cost him thousands of pounds in the process. The Department for Culture, Media & Sport is now looking into the issue following complaints.

Mr Mallinson told The Publican: "I'm completely disgusted. The magistrates didn't need plans for the bedrooms and public areas before so why does the local authority need them now? It's completely unnecessary.

"In the first year this is going to set me back between £1,500 and £2,000. In the past it would have only cost me £15 for a licence."

Mr Mallinson said that when he queried the point with Burnley Borough Council, it said pubs that offer accommodation but didn't provide room service or mini-bars would not be asked to provide plans. "However, it said that if someone then takes a drink back to their room that will be an offence," he said.

But council spokesman Jeremy Richards countered: "It's not Burnley Borough Council that is being outrageously bureaucratic. Every local authority has been provided with these forms from the government. We're not doing anything different to any other local authority."

Suzanne Davies, one of The Publican's legal experts, said too many local councils were interpreting the legislation in different ways. She said: "The way we have been interpreting the legislation is that licensees are required to provide plans of the licensed area including the kitchens and toilets - not any outside areas where alcohol isn't served."