Licensing policy

Bristol City Council's licensing policy.

Licensing policy

Under the Licensing Act 2003 each Licensing Authority is required to publish a statement of its licensing policy every five years.

The last full policy review took place in 2019 and the policy came into effect on 1 August 2020.

The revised policy incorporates the following key changes:

  • Introduction of Cumulative Impact Assessments into the Licensing Act 2003 (para 6.3.6)
  • The removal of the Model Operating Schedules from the Statement of Licensing Policy, Template Operating Schedules will be published separate from the policy to help inform applicants (para 2.14)
  • The importance of integration with other relevant local strategies (para 2.15)
  • The adoption of the Agent of Change principle into the policy (para 8.1)

Download a list of all amendments to SLP.

On 29 February 2024 the Council's Licensing Committee approved the publication of a Cumulative Impact Assessment to take effect from 8 March 2024.

The statement of licensing policy includes a summary of the Cumulative Impact Assessment at paras 6.3.8 to 6.3.10 as set out below:

6.3.8 Having had regard to the guidance referred to above, consulted upon the issue, taken into account the views of respondents and considered the evidence the Council has adopted a CIA in respect of one area of Bristol. The CIA covers the central area within the Cabot Sector as identified by Avon and Somerset Police including the Welsh Back area and Stokes Croft.

6.3.9 The CIA was requested by Avon and Somerset Constabulary. Evidence was produced to demonstrate that the central area of Bristol remains at saturation point and the area, which has a significant concentration of alcohol led late night venues, witnesses a high number of assaults and other related crime and disorder including public nuisance and risk to public safety. The CIA will apply to further applications for the grant of new licences or significant variations of existing licences in respect of premises that primarily sell alcohol for consumption on the premises, other late night uses, restaurants and take away outlets. The main focus of the assessment is likely to be on alcohol led establishments and premises that keep customers in the area at times when the promotion of the licensing objectives is most challenging (for example late night refreshment from “fast food” outlets).

6.3.10 A map detailing the area covered by the CIA is available in the CIA document published on the Council's website.

The revised licensing policy, pools of conditions and template operating schedules are available here:

View the pdf Cumulative Impact Assessment (615 KB) .

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