Liquor Licensing in Northern Ireland
The Licensing (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 sets out the Licensing Period as being “a period of 5 years beginning on 1st October 1997 or any quinquennial of that date”.
Many businesses may find that an application for renewal of their licence is sufficiently straight-forward to be undertaken as an administration task, with the application served upon, and to be decided by, the clerk of petty sessions. However, there are exceptions to the instances in which the clerk can renew a licence, and in these cases they must require the application to be made to the court.
Such exceptions are well set out in the Licensing Order and include, amongst others, those instances where the premises have been altered since the licence was granted or last renewed.
Relevant alterations include those which increase, change, or indeed conceal, the areas in which alcohol is served or consumed, or which affect circulation areas. At renewal such changes can cause major issues and can invalidate an existing licence. If you're in a renewal year (2022, 2027, 2032, etc) you need to establish the most efficient way through the renewal process, whether this is a Consent to Alterations application or a new grant application.
If you’re in any doubt about whether you need your Licence or plans amended or updated before the next quinquennial, discuss this with your solicitor as a matter of urgency.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
What they are, how they work and why they are popular in many countries.
Plastic, recycling and its symbol
Student competition winning, M.C.Esher inspired Möbius strip design symbolising continuity within a finite entity.
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.
The Warm Homes Plan details released
What's new and what is not, with industry reactions.
Could AI and VR cause an increase the value of heritage?
The Orange book: 2026 Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018
ECA welcomes IET and BSI content sign off.
How neural technologies could transform the design future
Enhancing legacy parametric engines, offering novel ways to explore solutions and generate geometry.
Key AI related terms to be aware of
With explanations from the UK government and other bodies.
From QS to further education teacher
Applying real world skills with the next generation.
A guide on how children can use LEGO to mirror real engineering processes.
Data infrastructure for next-generation materials science
Research Data Express to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.
Wired for the Future with ECA; powering skills and progress
ECA South Wales Business Day 2025, a day to remember.
AI for the conservation professional
A level of sophistication previously reserved for science fiction.
Biomass harvested in cycles of less than ten years.
An interview with the new CIAT President
Usman Yaqub BSc (Hons) PCIAT MFPWS.
Cost benefit model report of building safety regime in Wales
Proposed policy option costs for design and construction stage of the new building safety regime in Wales.
Do you receive our free biweekly newsletter?
If not you can sign up to receive it in your mailbox here.