Scotland - Edinburgh start initial Consultation on new Statement of Licensing Policy

The Edinburgh Licensing Board is currently seeking views on their current Statement of Licensing Policy.

The Consultation window will run until 20^th December 2022.

The Board has to prepare a new policy every five years and must ensure the policy promotes the licensing objectives of:-

• Preventing crime and disorder
• Securing public safety
• Preventing public nuisance
• Protecting and improving public health
• Protecting children and young persons from harm

The last policy was issued in November 2018, so a new one must be published by November, next year.  The Consultation is seeking the public’s views on all parts of the current policy but in particular the following aspects:

• Current licensed hours – particularly for premises providing on sales
• Extension of licensed hours applications – use of Extended Hours applications, and the extension of hours during the Festival and festive periods
• Children and young persons access to on-sales licensed premises (the current starting assumption for access to licensed premises is 11 pm for children and 1 am for young people (14-17yrs). Children’s access times can also be extended to 1 am if it’s a private event)
• Temporary licensing – including the use of occasional licences for one-off events or short periods, and the ability to apply for an unlimited number of these
• Overprovision – whether certain streets or communities or areas of the City have too many licensed premises, in terms of numbers and capacity of licensed premises

A further detailed consultation, which we imagine will include changes to the current Policy, is expected to take place in early 2023.

We shall keep you updated.