Sexual entertainment venue licences

These are defined as “any premises at which relevant entertainment is provided before a live audience for the financial gain of the organiser or the entertainer”.

The meaning of ‘relevant entertainment’ is defined as “any live performance or live display of nudity which is of such a nature that, ignoring financial gain, it must reasonably be assumed to be provided solely or principally for the purpose of sexually stimulating any member of an audience (whether by verbal or other means)”. An audience can consist of just one person.

The guidance issued by the Home Office over these matters indicates that whilst local authorities should judge each case on its own merits, it would be expected that the definition of relevant entertainment would apply to the following forms of entertainment as they are commonly understood:

• lap dancing
• pole dancing
• table dancing
• strip shows
• peep shows
• live sex shows

The above list is not exhaustive and should only be treated as an indication of the type of premises involved.

The adoption of these provisions gives local people a greater say over the grant, renewal and transfer of licences. This is where these premises are located and the number of premises in a given area.

It also allows the Licensing Committee to grant a licence, grant licences with conditions, or to refuse them.

Application evaluation process

Applications must contain any information the local authority requires, as well as the applicant's name, address and, where the applicant is an individual, their age, plus the address of the premises.

You are required to submit a copy of your application to South Yorkshire Police within 7 days of sending your application to us:

The Police Licensing Team 
1st Floor 
Attercliffe Police Station 
60 Attercliffe Common
Sheffield
S9 2AD

You must advertise your application in the local press within 7 days of submitting it to us. You must also display a notice at, or on, the premises to which the application is for for a period of at least 21 consecutive days. This is beginning from the day after the application was given to us. The notice must be placed so it can be conveniently read from the exterior of the premises.

Any person objecting to an application for the grant, renewal or transfer of a licence may give written notice of their objection to the relevant authority They should state the grounds of the objection and give this notice within 28 days of the date of the application.

If a valid objection is received, a Licensing Committee will hold a meeting to determine the application.

How we will notify you and timescales

Your application will not be automatically granted as it is in the public interest that your application is processed before it can be granted.

We will contact you as soon as possible if there are any objections.

Apply

Guidance on making an application, and detailed information on all areas of the application process, are provided in the Sexual Entertainment Venue Policy.

The fee to apply for or renew an application is £3865.

To request an application pack, please get in touch with us. 

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