Guide Temporary event notices

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3. How to apply for a temporary event notice

Allow plenty of time to organise your event and submit a TEN. The police and environmental health service can object to a TEN if they feel the event will undermine any of the four licensing objectives. 

Standard TENs

The law states that you must serve your notice on us at least 10 clear working days before the event (not including the event day and the day the notice is served).

Late TENs

In exceptional circumstances the law allows us to accept a TEN submitted between 5 and 9 working days before the event (not including the event day and the day the notice is submitted).

Late TENs should only be used in exceptional circumstances as you run the very real risk that the event may not be able to take place if we receive an objection to the notice. If that happens then we have no alternative but to serve a counter notice on the notice giver. If that happens you will not be authorised to provide licensable activities at the event as the law doesn't allow for an appeal with a late TEN.

How to apply

You can serve your temporary event notice online.

Please read our frequently asked questions about temporary event notices and environmental health's guidance and advice for applicants for temporary event notices before you fill in the form as this will help you avoid common mistakes that may result in your notice being rejected.

You'll need to give:

  • your personal address and contact details
  • the address of the premises or if it has no address a detailed description including the ordnance survey references
  • the licensable activities you want to provide at the event and the date and times when you'll be providing them
  • a maximum number of people that will be at the event

If you are unable to apply online, you will need to serve us with a paper copy of your temporary event notice (TEN) and you can email us to request a blank copy of the form. If you are serving your TEN in paper form, it is your responsibility to also serve a copy on each of the relevant responsible authorities for TENs being the Police and our Environmental Health service. You will also need to make a payment to ourselves. When we receive your notice and payment we will contact you by email to confirm whether it meets the requirements and has been accepted.

Payments

You'll be charged a fee. Please make sure you are aware of how much this will cost.

Data Protection

Any personal information which you provide will be held and used by East Devon District Council for the purpose of the licensing service to process and administer your temporary event notice.  Your information may also be shared within East Devon District Council for the purposes of carrying out our lawful functions.  Otherwise your personal information will not be disclosed to anybody outside East Devon District Council without your permission, unless there is a lawful reason to do so, for example disclosure is necessary for crime prevention or detection purposes.  Your information will be held securely and will not be retained for any longer than is necessary.  There are a number of rights available to you in relation to our use of your personal information, depending on the reason for processing.  Further detail about our use of your personal information can be found in the relevant privacy notice

Start the journey

Start

More info about the journey

You'll need a credit or debit card.

When we receive your notice we'll check it to make sure it's been completed correctly. We'll telephone you if there is anything else we need.

We'll then send a copy of your notice to the police and the environmental health service. 

We can’t refuse a notice unless the police or environmental health object to it. They must do this within three working days of receiving it and they can only object if they think your event could:

  • lead to crime and disorder
  • cause a public nuisance
  • be a threat to public safety
  • put children at risk of harm

If the police or environmental health serve an objection notice then the licensing sub committee will hold a meeting – called a ‘hearing’ – no later than 24 hours before the event.

At the hearing, the committee will either approve, add conditions or reject the notice.

Before a hearing takes place the police or the environmental service may negotiate with the notice giver to agree changes to the TEN.  If all parties agree to the changes then the objection is considered to have been withdrawn and the event can go ahead on the terms of the changed TEN.

Where an objection notice is received for a late TEN the law requires us to issue a counter notice. The law does not permit a hearing or for the notice to be changed in the case of a late TEN.  This means that if an objection is received the event will not be authorised.  

We can also issue a counter notice if the number of permitted TENs has been exceeded.

What you can do if you haven't heard from us

If after three working days the police or environmental health haven't objected to your notice then the event will then be able to go ahead as planned.

Please contact us if you don't receive a copy of your notice in the post as you'll need to display this at the event.

Timescales for processing an application do not start until all the necessary information has been received in full.

What you can do if your application is unsuccessful

Please contact us in the first instance.

Appeals

If we issue a counter notice in relation to a temporary event notice you can appeal our decision.

All appeals must be made to a magistrates court within 21 days of notice of the decision:

North and East Devon Magistrates Court, Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX1 1UH

Tel: 01392 415300