Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

36 Application for review of premises licence

(1) Any person may apply to the appropriate Licensing Board in respect of any licensed premises in relation to which a premises licence has effect for a review of the licence on any of the grounds for review.

(2) An application under subsection (1) is referred to in this Act as a “premises licence review application”.

(3) The grounds for review referred to in subsection (1) are—

(a) that one or more of the conditions to which the premises licence is subject has been breached, or

(b) any other ground relevant to one or more of the licensing objectives.

(4) A Licensing Standards Officer may make a premises licence review application on the ground specified in subsection (3)(a) only if—

(a) in relation to the alleged ground for review, the Officer or any other Licensing Standards Officer has issued to the licence holder a notice under section 14(2)(a)(i), and

(b) the licence holder has failed to take the action specified in the notice to the satisfaction of the Officer.

(5) A premises licence review application must specify the alleged ground for review, including in particular—

(a) where the ground is that specified in subsection (3)(a), the condition or conditions alleged to have been breached,

(b) where the ground is that specified in subsection (3)(b), the licensing objective or objectives to which the alleged ground of review relates.

(6) The Licensing Board may reject a premises licence review application if the Board considers the application—

(a) is vexatious or frivolous, or

(b) does not disclose any matter relevant to any ground for review.

(7) Where the Licensing Board rejects a premises licence review application under subsection (6), the Board—

(a) must give notice of the decision, and the reasons for it, to the applicant, and

(b) where it is rejected on the ground that it is frivolous or vexatious, may recover from the applicant any expenses incurred by the Board in considering the application.

(8) In any proceedings by a Licensing Board for the recovery of expenses under subsection (7)(b), a copy of any minute of proceedings of the Licensing Board—

(a) recording the Board’s rejection of the application and the grounds for rejection, and

(b) certified by the clerk of the Board to be a true copy,

is sufficient evidence of the rejection and of the establishment of the grounds for rejection.