Sex establishment licences
A sex establishment is anywhere used for a business that consists to a significant degree of selling, hiring, exchanging, lending, displaying or demonstrating sex-related articles.
For further information on the licensing of sex establishments please see:
- Section 27 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009
- Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 (licensing of sex establishments)
How to apply for a sex establishment licence
For information on how we deal with sex establishment licence applications, please read our Sex Establishment Licensing Policy.
The fee for applying for a new licence, renewal, transfer, or variation is £6,500.
To apply please complete a sex establishment licence application form and send it with the fee to us at the address below.
What happens next
When we receive your application, we’ll check it has been submitted correctly and is accompanied by the correct fee and any other required documentation. We will confirm the consultation period then you will need to display a completed public notice at the premises which must be clearly visible from the street. This must be printed on orange A3 paper and the text printed in black ink. Using the same wording, you must also arrange for a public notice to be placed in a newspaper circulating in the area where the premises is located.
Once we validate your application, people will then have 28 days to submit their comments. We will let you know if we receive objections to your application and will send you redacted copies of the objections.
Your application will then be determined by a Licensing Panel – we will contact you to let you know when this will take place. You can make representations to the Panel, along with any objectors.
The Panel will consider if you, as the applicant, are suitable to hold the licence, if the application meets the requirements of our policy, and whether it is in a suitable location. You will be informed of the decision in writing within 10 working days.
For details on how we use data relating to licence holders and applicants, please see our privacy notice for licence holders and applicants.
For details on how we use data relating to complainants and those making representations against a licence application, please see our privacy notice for complainants and objectors.
Contact us - Licensing
01235 422556
(Text phone users add 18001 before dialing)
South Oxfordshire District Council
Abbey House
Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE
