About

BACKGROUND

The Practice was established in 2004 by the Principal Consultant Bill Donne and his business partners to assist businesses in the hospitality and retail sectors located in the Thames Valley area and in London that wished to sell alcohol, provide entertainment or hot food and drink late at night in getting the correct licence authorisations in place.

 

The Licensing Act 2003 was scheduled to go live in the November of 2005 and there were many restaurants, bars and pubs that had the benefit of a licence granted by the Magistrates under the old 1964 Licensing Act. This was about to change whereby existing licensed businesses would change over to the new licensing regime under 'Grandfather Rights'.

 

This was the era where the central government were recommending a light touch to licensing. Of course, over time we have see a firming up of attitude towards licensed premises from officers from responsible authorities and other initiatives from Government through revisions of the Licensing Act 2003 via other Acts of Parliament, Police Reform Act etc with the new concepts of Late-Night Levies, Early Morning Restrictions Orders, Expedited Reviews and Cumulative Impact Policies.

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This has resulted in a tougher, more complex regulatory environment in which to run a licensed premises, be it a restaurant or a night club. 

 

The majority of our new Clients from personal recommendations from our existing accounts, some of whom we have worked with for many years in the various premises they have opened. Our Client base ranges from multi site operators, large festivals to the local independent corner shop. 

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The Silver Fox Licensing Consultancy practice is based in Reading, Berkshire, and has expanded over the years with an established Client base located across the south of England from Bristol to Birmingham, Wokingham to Watford, to London, Brighton and Bournemouth.

 

FEE STRUCTURE

We offer a FREE thirty minute telephone consultation  where we can discuss your proposed business ideas, opening hours etc to establish your needs. This initial short consultation is on a pro bono basis and without obligation on your part.

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If you wish us to attend your premises for the consultation then there is a minimum charge of £180 per hour payable in advance. The good news is that if you then proceed to instruct Silver Fox to act on your behalf this fee will be deducted from the fixed fee quotation.  

 

Should you wish to proceed our rate is £180 per hour but in most cases we can offer a fixed fee quotation based on the complexity of the application. This can range from c. £750 for a small off licence through to £6,000 for large nightclubs. These prices exclude application fees, plans, the cost of public notices, travel and representation at a licensing hearing.

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In every case of an application for a grant of a new premises licence or a full variation that includes a change of floor plans we will require a suitable set of plans that comply with the licensing regulations on a scale of 1:100 on the standard scale and marked up accordingly.

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To represent your business at a licensing hearing our fee structure starts at c.£650 up to £4,500 dependent on the complexity of your case. This reflects the research, taking statements, assessment and potentially the submission of a skeleton argument.

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Make contact for a complimentary online meeting or telephone consultation without any obligation. You can also complete the online enquiry form to be found on the Contacts page.

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