Temporary event notices

Notice summary

Temporary Event Notices (TENs) can be applied for to permit the following temporary licensable activities whether they be within a premises or outside in open space:

• Regulated entertainment - plays, films, recorded music, indoor sporting events, live music, boxing or wrestling entertainment, performance of dance
• Late night refreshment - provision of hot food and/or hot drinks between 11pm and 5am
• Sale by retail of alcohol
• Supply of alcohol by or on behalf of a club to a member or to the order of a member.

Standard Temporary Event Notices are those notices which are served at least 10 working days before the event and Late Temporary Event Notices have been introduced in order for event organisers to serve less notice than standard TENs by providing between 5 and 9 working days notice.

Premises users must be over the age of 18 and the maximum number of TENs that you can apply for per calendar year is 5 Standard TENs or 2 Late TENs, unless you are a Personal Licence holder where the maximum number of Standard TENs is 50 or Late TENs is 10. TENs must not involve more that 499 people at any one time and last no more than 168 hours. There should also be at least 24 hours between notice periods.

There are also restrictions on the number of TENs per premises. There can be only a maximum of 12 TENs a year for any particular premises, subject to an overall limit of no more than 21 days in total. Please note that part of a day equates to a full day when calculating total number of days. There must be at least a 24 hour gap between TENs, in other words TENs cannot be operated back to back.

You are advised that by serving a late TEN you run the risk that your event may not be able to take place, should the licensing authority receive an objection notice to a late TEN they are required to serve a counter notice no later than 24 hours before the event and the event will not then be permitted.

Further guidance (pdf, 78 KB) (opens new window) and a TEN checklist (pdf, 10 KB) (opens new window) have been provided for your reference.

Eligibility criteria

The notice should contain:

• If alcohol is to be supplied a statement confirming that it is a condition of using the premises that the supplies are made under the premises user's authority
• a statement relating to certain matters including details of licensable activities including timings and dates of the event period and the maximum number of people proposed to be permitted on the premises
• any other required information

Regulation summary

Temporary event notices are regulated by the Licensing Act 2003.

Recent changes to Temporary Event Notices

Please note there have been recent changes to the legislation relating to Temporary Event Notices (TENs).

From 25 April, 2012 the following changes have taken place:

• event period for TENs has been extended from 96 hours to 168 hours
• maximum number of days that TENs can be applied for each premises has been extended from 15 days to 21 days in a calendar year
• the notice period for TENs has also been amended through the creation of Late Temporary Event Notices

Please read the information provided and guidance which has been updated to reflect these changes.

Further changes in legislation

Please note there are further changes which are likely to come into force after October 2012. Information and guidance documents will be updated to reflect these changes.

Notice evaluation process

Your notice must be submitted to the licensing authority, environmental health and the police within the timescales outlined above. The copies to the licensing authority must be accompanied with a fee of £21.00.

You are advised that if you submit between 5 and 9 working days prior to the event period commencing you run the risk that if your notice is objected to a counter notice will be served and your event will not be permitted.

Please note the date of receipt is not included as a working day.

Apply online

If you apply online the licensing authority are required to forward a copy of your notice to the police and environmental health by the end of the first working day after they received your notice. A fee of £21.00 will be payable when submitting your notice online.

Apply for temporary event notice

Apply by post

Please be advised that your notice will not be accepted if the following requirements are not complied with:

• A cheque for £21.00 enclosed with the notice to the Licensing Office (cheques made payable to Bristol City Council)
• One copy of the notice to be sent to the Licensing Office .
• One copy of the notice to be sent to Environmental Health.

Both postal and by hand notices should be submitted to Pollution Control, c/o Licensing Office, Princess House, Princess Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4AG

One copy of the notice to be served on the Chief Officer of Police at Avon and Somerset Constabulary either:

• By post to Chief Officer of Police, Licensing, First Floor, PO Box 3119, Bristol, BS1 9GG
• By hand to Joint Enforcement Team, The Bridewell, 1 - 2 Bridewell Street, Bristol, BS1 2AA

Both the police, environmental health and the licensing authority must receive the notice at least 5 working days for Late TENs and at least 10 working days for Standard TENs prior to the proposed commencement date of the event. Please be advised that the date of receipt is not classed as a working day.

What happens once I have submitted my notice?

Provided that a completed notice has been submitted and the limits in respect of temporary event notices have not been exceeded, the Licensing Authority will acknowledge your notice by returning a receipted copy of your notice to you. If the limits have been exceeded the Licensing Authority will serve a counter notice and the event will not be permitted and any activity that did take place would not be authorised.

Standard TENs

The chief officer of the police and/or environmental health may object to a notice if they believe that the event would undermine the licensing objectives and objection notices must be served on the premises user and the Licensing Authority before the end of the third working day following the day on which they were given the temporary event notice.

Late TENs

On receipt of an objection notice to a Late TEN the licensing authority are required to serve a Counter Notice on the premises user and the police and environmental health no later than 24 hours before the beginning of the event and the event will not be permitted.

A police chief and/or environmental health may modify the TEN with the consent of the premises user. In such a case an objection notice will be deemed to have been withdrawn.

Counter notices may also be provided by the licensing authority if the number of permitted TENs has been exceeded.

Will tacit consent apply?

Tacit consent applies to a TEN if no relevant representations are submitted.

If relevant representations are received tacit consent does not apply and a public hearing must be held to determine your application for Standard TENs and a counter notice would be served for Late TENs.

If no representations are received within this period you will be able to act as though your notice is granted.

Please note the target notice period for Late TENs is 5 working days and Standard TENs 10 working days.

Premises user complaints

If a counter notice is given in relation to an objection notice for a Standard TEN the premises user may appeal against the decision. Appeals must be made to the local Magistrates' court within 21 days.

Licence holder redress

Please contact us for further information.

Consumer complaint

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.

Customer satisfaction survey

Enforcement and Regulatory Services are undertaking a customer satisfaction survey (Snap website) to evaluate the level of service that you have received and to consider how we can improve our service. We would appreciate your comments.

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