Temporary Event Notices

Temporary events are one-off or occasional events attracting fewer than 500 people (i.e. a maximum of 499 including staff and performers) where licensable activities are carried out.

Licensable activities include:

• Public performances such as the staging a play or an orchestral recital

• Public broadcasts such as an open air film screening

• Indoor sporting events such as a boxing or wrestling match

• Live or recorded music events

• The sale or supply of alcohol

• The provision of late night refreshment between 23:00 and 05:00

The temporary event notice is basically a form submitted to the local council, the police and Environmental Health, letting them know about a planned event and which licensable activities a proposed premises user intends to carry out.

Temporary event notices may only be submitted by an individual aged 18 or over and not, for example, by a business, club or organisation. Within businesses, clubs or organisations, one individual will therefore need to be identified as the proposed premises user.

For the purposes of the Licensing Act 2003, 'premises' means 'any place'. Premises will therefore not always be a building with a formal address and postcode. Premises can include, for example, public parks, recreation grounds and private land.

A single event must last no more than 168 consecutive hours; i.e. one week.

There must be at least 24 hours between two temporary event notices submitted for the same premises by the same person or an associate.

Any premises can only be used for 15 temporary events per calendar year, up to a total maximum of 21 days.  A day includes part of a day so an event running from 8pm on one day until 2am the next is classed as a two-day event.

There are 2 types of temporary event notice (TEN):

• a standard TEN, which is given no later than 10 working days before the event to which it relates

• a late TEN, which is given not before 9 and not later than 5 working days before the event

A personal licence holder can submit up to 50 TENs per calendar year, of which a maximum of 10 can be late TENs.

Those who do not hold a personal licence can still submit up to 5 TENs per calendar year, of which a maximum of 2 can be late TENs.

Once a TEN has been submitted, we will acknowledge and return one copy to the proposed premises user. This copy must be available to view on the premises during the event.

Only the police and Environmental Health can object to the event taking place on the grounds that the event will fail to support one or more of the licensing objectives:

• prevention of crime and disorder

• prevention of public nuisance

• public safety

• protection of children from harm

If an objection is raised and the matter cannot be resolved informally we will arrange a formal hearing to decide whether or not the event can proceed. However, with a late TEN the event will not be allowed to proceed.

For an application form or details of fees for TENs and other licensable activities go to our forms and fees page.

The UK Government website provides more information about temporary event notices and detailed guidance notes. You can also view The Licensing Act 2003 Permitted Temporary Activities.