case study

Obtaining a licence for a special venue

the challenge:

A premises licence was needed at the state of the art contemporary art centre, Nottingham Contemporary prior to building works being completed, in a building which was in a saturation zone. The licence had to give freedom for a wide range of entertainers to perform at the venue and also to enable exhibitions, live art, educational activities, conferences, catering and merchandising to be available.

our approach:

We set out to distinguish the building from other licensable premises and to disprove the presumption that a licence could not be granted due to it being in the saturation zone. We attended round-table meetings with the Police Licensing Officer to negotiate and agree reasonable conditions for the licence so that it could be secured without a hearing. We also came up with innovative language to ensure that the conditions of performance were less restrictive, dealing with particular concerns over nudity.

the result:

A licence was granted that did not restrict the creative freedom of the performers and without attending a hearing. This benefited the business through reduced costs for obtaining the licence and broadened the appeal of the venue to a wider audience, generating increased opportunities for revenue.