Licensing policy

Licensing Authorities must keep their licensing policies under review and consult and revise them at least in accordance with the statutory time scales. Accordingly and following public consultation there is a new licensing policy which takes effect from 3 January 2022.

Any application that has to be determined by a Licensing Sub-Committee on or after 3 January 2022 will be considered against the terms of this new policy even if the application was submitted to the licensing authority prior to that date.

The Licensing Policy incorporates a special policy on cumulative impact which covers Richmond and Twickenham town centres. The text that refers to Cumulative Impact and Cumulative Impact Assessment is contained in Section 10 and Appendix 3 of the Licensing Policy. A map of the areas covered by the special policy on cumulative impact is contained in Appendix 4 of the Policy. The evidence leading to the adoption of the special policy was presented to the Council's Regulatory Committee on 12 October 2021.

Download the Licensing Policy operative from 3 January 2022 (pdf, 1.4 MB)

Cumulative Impact Policy 2024 to 2027

Review of Statement of Licensing Policy 

Richmond Upon Thames Council as a Licensing Authority, is required under section 5(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 to publish a new Statement of Licensing Policy for the Borough at least every five years. Our current Policy will expire on 2 January 2027. Before issuing the revised Policy Statement, the Authority is required to consult on the proposed content and to consider the results of that consultation.

The Licensing Act 2003 aims to promote the four licensing objectives in Richmond Upon Thames:

1. The Prevention of Crime and Disorder
2. Public Safety
3. The Prevention of Public Nuisance
4. The Protection of Children from Harm

The licensing policy, sets out how we regulate and licence businesses that sell or supply alcohol, provide entertainment or late-night refreshment (The sale of hot food and/or drinks between 11pm and 5am) in the Borough.

The draft policy largely mirrors the current policy which has generally worked well in promoting the licensing objectives across the Borough. However, opportunity has been taken to do the following:

i) To generally tidy up the policy in terms of grammar and layout which include renumbering of sections and page numbers
ii) To update references to other Council Policies and Strategies to the most recent documents
iii) As required by the Secretary of States Section 182 Guidance issued on 12 February 2026, to reference the following:

• 1.18 When making licensing decisions, all licensing authorities should consider the need to promote growth and deliver economic benefits.
• 1.19 In coming to a decision on individual licensing applications, licensing committees should have regard to relevant local plans and strategies – such as those relating to town planning, the night-time economy, or business support – provided these considerations are consistent with the licensing objectives and the authority’s published licensing policy. For example, licensing authorities in the area covered by the London Mayor should consider the London Plan 2021 which sets out a clear framework for the development of London over the next 20-25 years and the Mayor’s vision for Good Growth.

iv) New Section 5 – Local Concerns regarding Alcohol Consumption in the Borough – written by Public Health who are actively engaging in the licensing process and how the data they hold can influence the licensing process.
v) Section 10 Promotion of Equality – Additional paragraphs 10.2 to 10.4 as well as paragraph 10.5 on Human Rights
vi)  Section 11 – Additional information around Cumulative Impact Assessments and Areas.
vii) At paragraph 11.13 reference to ‘Special Areas of Interest and Consultation’ to deal with emerging issues in other areas of the Borough that have not been designated as Cumulative Impact Areas
viii)  New Section 12 – Areas of Special Interest and Consultation - Within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, there are areas where local circumstances and environmental factors may require applicants to give additional consideration to the potential impact of their proposals in order to promote and uphold the licensing objectives. We are asking what areas of the Borough people think should be designated as such an area.
ix) New paragraphs at Section 13 – Policies supporting each of the Licensing Objectives.
x) New paragraphs at 15.4 – Reference to boxing events and specifically White Collar Boxing and Charity Events.
xi) New Paragraphs 15.7 to 15.12 – New paragraphs relating to special events in the open air or temporary structures and reference to the Safety Advisory Group.
xii) New Paragraphs 15.13 to 15.17 – New paragraphs on Ask for Angela and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG).
xiii) New Paragraphs 15.17 – 15.20 – New paragraphs regarding Safe Havens and an E Learning Package on Sexual Harassment and Drink Spiking Prevention and Bystander Training.
xiv) New Paragraphs 15.21 – 15.24 – New paragraphs on Counter-Terrorism and Martyn’s Law (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 and ACT (Action Counter Terrorism) training.
xv) New Paragraphs 16.5 – 16.10 – New paragraphs on the Environmental Impact of Generators.
xvi) New Paragraphs 16.14 – 16.15 – New paragraphs on Delivery Services.
xviii) New Paragraph 17.19 – New paragraph on Alcohol Deliveries.
xix) New Paragraph 21.3 – New paragraph referring to the Regulatory Services Partnership Pre-application advice service.

Consultation

We invite your comments to make sure we have considered a wide range of views, which will help shape the final Richmond Upon Thames Statement of Licensing Policy 2027 -2032.

The consultation period will run for 12 weeks closing on Sunday 25 October 2026. Please tell us what you think about the proposed changes to the draft policy by completing a short survey which can be found on the Council’s website via the link below:

You will also find a summary of the main changes being proposed and a link to the draft Statement of Licensing Policy.

After the consultation period has ended, we will consider all the responses and amend the Statement of Licensing Policy as appropriate. The updated policy will then be considered by the Licensing Committee in November 2026. After that date, the revised Policy will be referred to the Full Council at the December meeting for adoption. We look forward to receiving your comments.

Contact

If you have any further queries regarding the consultation, please do not hesitate to contact Deborah Bragg, Licensing Manager at: licensing@merton.gov.uk.

How to get copies of the Licensing Policy

Hard copies of the policy are available from the Licensing Team based at London Borough of Merton, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, SM4 5DX, or by emailing licensing@merton.gov.uk.

Previous versions of the Licensing Policy

September 2017 to January 2022

Licensing Policy - operative from September 2017 to January 2022 (pdf, 2.8 MB)

September 2012 to September 2017

Licensing Policy - operative from September 2012 to September 2017 (pdf, 1712KB)

January 2011 to September 2012

Licensing Policy - operative from January 2011 to September 2012(pdf, 1662KB)

January 2008 to January 2011

Licensing Policy - operative from 8 January 2008 to 6 January 2011(pdf, 685KB)

June 2005 to January 2008

This policy document was revised on 14 June 2005.