Warwickshire Direct
Approved venue licensing
Latest approved venue licence notices
This feed requires JavaScript to work properly (which appears to be turned off in your browser) - but you can still view this RSS feed here.
Are you the owner or manager of a hotel, stately home or other sought after venue? Are you looking to increase business opportunities? Have you considered licensing your venue to host civil marriage and other celebratory ceremonies?
Warwickshire registration service is responsible for licensing venues for the performance of civil ceremonies. Currently, there are over 90 such venues licensed across Warwickshire offering a variety of settings, facilities and choice.
Warwickshire's approved premises licences enable the venue to host all civil ceremonies currently offered by the registration service, such as marriage, civil partnership, citizenship, renewal of marriage vows, and naming ceremonies.
- Eligibility criteria for venue licensing
- What does it cost to licence my venue?
- What do I get for my application fee?
- How long will the process take and what do you do?
- How to apply
- Renewing an existing licence
- Change of circumstances
- Failed applications
- Complaints from applicants and licence holders
- Complaints from the public about licence holders
- Other complaints
Eligibility criteria for venue licensing
To hold a civil ceremony or wedding at premises in Warwickshire, the premise must be approved by us the County Council.
You must be the proprietor or a trustee of the premises to apply for permission to hold civil ceremonies or weddings.
The venue must:
- be a permanent structure which fully satisfies planning, health, safety and fire regulations relating to use by the public;
- have a suitable public and secular current use with no current connection with any religion, religious practice or persuasion;
- be dignified and seemly and be capable of accommodating marriage parties and have a room for marriage ceremonies that can be separated from other activities;
- have to be available for regular use for marriage ceremonies and have suitable arrangements for the safety of guests and staff.
The registration services team can offer a preliminary visit to premises free of charge to assess eligibility before an application is made. To arrange this, please contact:
Email:
approvedpremises@warwickshire.gov.uk
Telephone:
01926 413725
The application must be in writing (including by electronic means) and include:
- the name and address of the applicant;
- details of the rooms to be licensed;
- floor plan of the premises clearly showing the rooms to be approved;
- copy of the current public liability insurance certificate applicable to the premises (minimum £5m cover is requires);
- copy of the up to date fire risk assessment for the property;
- cheque for the appropriate application fee made payable to Warwickshire County Council;
Terms and conditions for all approvals (pdf, 104Kb)
We do however reserve the right to add any special conditions at any stage throughout the approval process.
What does it cost to licence my venue?
The cost for applying between 1st April 2011 and 31st March 2013 is £1900.00. The fee is non-returnable.
What do I get for my application fee?
If your application is successful you will receive a licence, valid for 3 years which approves the venue for hosting all civil ceremonies. Please note however that it is only nominated rooms within your premises that are approved and ceremonies must only take place in the approved rooms.
How long will the process take and what do you do?
If all runs smoothly the process should take approximately 3 months. The we will as part of the process:
- send a representative of the Registration service to inspect the premises;
- liaise with the fire and rescue service to ensure fire safety arrangements are satisfactory;
- liaise with the planning authority to ensure any planning requirements are satisfied;
- liaise with the environmental health authority to ensure any safety issues are satisfied;
- place a public notice in the local press advising that your premises is seeking approval and offering the opportunity to object to the granting of a licence. We will also investigate any objection raised, but may still issue a licence.
For public interest reasons, your application must be processed and approved by us before it can be granted - it is not automatically granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period, please contact:
Email:
approvedpremises@warwickshire.gov.uk
Telephone:
01926 413725
How to apply
Along with the application form, you will need to submit the following:
- a statement detailing the names and addresses of all directors of the holding company or premises with your completed application;
- copy of the premise's current public liability insurance policy with your completed application (minimum £5m cover required);
- detailed floor plan clearly showing the rooms intended for approval and for use as the approved interview room with your completed application;
You are required to nominate a "responsible person or persons" to act as a contact point for registration staff who is/are authorised to make arrangements as and when notified by a member of the Warwickshire registration service. This person/s to be in attendance at least 1 hour prior too and during each wedding ceremony.
You will need to:
- complete the online form. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk (*). This information must be supplied before the application can be submitted;
- print out the confirmation page;
- select payment method i.e. online or cheque;
- if you choose to pay by cheque the online element of the application process is now complete;
- if you choose to pay online you will be redirected to 'WorldPay' to make your payment.
Send the following information to the 'approved premises licensing administrator:
- signed application form;
- floor plan of the premises clearly showing the rooms to be approved;
- copy of the current public liability insurance certificate applicable to the premises (minimum £5m cover is requires);
- if you have chosen to pay by cheque, or if your online payment was unsuccessful, you are also required to send a cheque for the appropriate application fee made payable to 'Warwickshire County Council'.
Paper application form (pdf, 35Kb)
Please complete and return the application (if paper application), supporting documentation and payment to:
Approved Premises Licensing Team
Warwickshire Register Office
PO Box 9
Shire Hall
Warwick
CV34 4RR
Renewing an existing licence
Existing licence holders will be contacted by the approved premises administrator 9 months before the expiry of their licence to be invited to renew their licence.
Change of circumstances
Please notify the approved premises administrator (approvedpremises@warwickshire.gov.uk) if there are any changes to your circumstances that may affect your licence.
Failed applications
You have the right to seek a review of the County Council's refusal to grant your application. You must send your request for review to:
Email:
approvedpremises@warwickshire.gov.uk
Telephone:
01926 413725
Address:
Approved Premises Licensing Team Warwickshire Register Office PO Box 9 Shire Hall Warwick CV34 4RR
Complaints from applicants and licence holders
You have the right to seek a review of our imposition of conditions, refusal to renew or revocation of approval. You must send your request for review to:
Email:
approvedpremises@warwickshire.gov.uk
Telephone:
01926 413725
Address:
Approved Premises Licensing Team Warwickshire Register Office PO Box 9 Shire Hall Warwick CV34 4RR
Complaints from the public about licence holders
We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK, Consumer Direct will give you advice. From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.
Other complaints
If you object to an application for premises approval you may give us notice within 21 days of the notice of application appearing in the local newspaper. Please notify Registration Services - registrations@warwickshire.gov.uk.
