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Comment on a licence application

Due to essential maintenance, there will be a disruption in service to PublicAccess on 22 and 23 June 2026. We apologise for any inconvenience.

You can search for licensing applications on Public Access.

Go to Public Access

You can make comments (also called representations) on licensing applications. Comments can be in support of or objecting to an application.

Making a representation

Comments must be made in writing and include your full name and address. They must be made within the consultation period.

You can submit a comment by email to licensing@cheltenham.gov.uk, or online using Public Access.

A copy of any comments made will be given to the applicant during, or at the end of, the consultation period. Your personal details (such as name and address) will be included with your representation unless there are exceptional circumstances that justify withholding them.

Comments must be relevant and relate to at least one of the licensing objectives. The licensing objectives are:

  • The prevention of crime and disorder
  • Public safety
  • The prevention of public nuisance
  • The protection of children from harm

If your representation includes concerns about any subject which does not relate to the licensing objectives it will be rejected, for example:

  • planning permission
  • parking
  • commercial competition
  • rights of access
  • impact on property value
  • moral standing

What to include in a representation

Your representation must clearly explain the likely effect of the grant of the premises licence on one or more of the four licensing objectives.

Representations should be specific and evidence based, but there is no requirement to produce a recorded history of a premises to support your representation.

You may be able to evidence any concerns, however, by including one or more of the following in your representation, depending on which licensing objective you have concerns about:

  • Crime statistics
  • Your own written or photographic diary of any incidents
  • Local authority complaints data (like licensing or noise nuisance complaints)
  • Enforcement action taken by authorities, including test purchase results
  • Concerns from local anti-social behaviour teams
  • Data on ambulance call-outs
  • Alcohol and late-night related hospital admissions
  • Depravation data
  • Reports in the local or national media

To make your representation as effective as possible, we would recommend you refer to our Licensing policy statement and also the guidance on GOV.UK.

PDF Icon Licensing policy statement - pdf - 2.10 Mb

What happens next

We will consider whether your representation is relevant.

If your representation is relevant

If we decide that your representation is relevant, the application it relates to will be referred to a Licensing Sub-Committee for a decision (unless the application is for a minor variation). If you want to, you can attend the hearing. This will allow you to:

  • expand on your representation
  • ask questions of the applicant
  • answer questions from the Members of the Sub-Committee

If, following the hearing, you do not agree with the decision of the Sub-Committee you can appeal to the magistrates' court against the decision. If you are not sure of what the best course of action is for you, we would recommend that you seek professional advice.

If your representation is not relevant

If we decide that your representation is not relevant, or vexatious or frivolous, we will reject the representation and the application will be granted at the end of the consultation period. If you're not happy with the decision, you can make a complaint through our complaints procedure. You can also challenge our decision by way of judicial review.

Copyright Notice

Plans, drawings and material submitted to the council are protected by the Copyright Act (Section 47, 1988 Act). You may only download or print material for consultation purposes. Further copies must not be made without the prior permission of the copyright owner (the applicant/ agent/ architect). You may, however, make copies of decision notices and reports provided the copies are not altered in any way.

You cannot make copies of any Ordnance Survey (OS) plans on the online system and submit these with a planning application. To do so would breach our OS licence.

Limitations of the service

The database includes only those records which Cheltenham Borough Council hold on computer. It is not a complete database of all information held by the council.

You should not rely on information from this site as an alternative to traditional searches where completeness of information is essential. While we take great care to ensure that the information provided on this site is accurate, we cannot accept any liability or responsibility should you rely on the information provided and ultimately find it to have been incorrect or incomplete.

If you have any reason to suspect that the information is incorrect, please contact us immediately so that we can investigate and make any corrections as soon as possible.

There will be a period after 10pm each evening where the service will be unavailable due to daily maintenance.

Problems with Public Access

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