Your liquor licence – time for renewal

All liquor licences which authorise the retail sale of alcohol in Northern Ireland must be renewed by the end of September 2022 and the applications for renewal need to be in court by 9 August 2022 at the very latest.

It is essential for our clients’ businesses (and for those of their landlords where applicable) that their licences are validly renewed. A failure to validly renew could prove very costly both in time and money.

As part of the renewal process each licence holder must declare that they have not made any alterations to their premises without the consent of the court, if such were required. A failure to declare such an alteration could invalidate the renewal and jeopardise the validity of the licence.

The likelihood of alterations having being carried out during the pandemic is high as many retailers have created outdoor seating areas and have made other alterations to their premises to protect the public and to meet their needs.

We have a team of liquor licensing experts who can provide advice on the renewal process whether or not the premises have been altered to ensure that your licence is validly renewed and your business security is assured.

For further information about this or any other licensing law matter please contact Niall Hargan or a member of Carson McDowell’s Licensing, Gaming & Betting team.