Published: 21 August 2014
Q: I am the premises licence holder and DPS of a community pub in a suburb of London. There is a local park at the other end of the road to my pub which will be hosting a small music and arts and crafts festival. They will not have any stalls selling alcohol or any bars however I wondered if I could sell people drinks to take up the road with them and drink whilst they are at the festival? The festival organisers have no problems with this.
A: There are a few issues you need to consider before you decide to go ahead with this plan. Firstly, if you are selling alcohol to people to drink away from the premises, you will need permission for off sales on your premises licence and you should also check there is no condition restricting it. Secondly, you should ensure there are no local by-laws. If there is a Designated Public Place Order in place, either on the road or in the park, then police officers can order a person to stop drinking alcohol in public and confiscate it from them. You should advise your local licensing department and the police to ensure that they are aware of what is happening and can plan their resources accordingly. You should also consider your community and neighbours and do your best to encourage people to not leave bottles and litter along the street and in the park. Remember, as a premises licence holder as DPS, you must ensure you retail alcohol responsibly and the usual rules in respect of service to underage persons or people who are drunk still apply, even if they are drinking the alcohol elsewhere.
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