These are challenging times, particularly for the licensed trade. Many businesses are looking at different ways to keep their business going. One way that businesses are adapting is by offering home deliveries of food and drink.

The UK Government has indicated that they intend to relax planning laws to allow restaurants additionally to operate as takeaways during the current crisis without requiring planning consent. The Scottish Government has urged local authorities here to adopt the same position.

But what about home deliveries of alcohol? Even if your current operating plan does not specifically include home deliveries Fife Licensing Board have advised that they will consider requests to include this without the need for a major variation of your premises licence provided your operating plan already includes provision for off-sales and you can comply with the following conditions:-

CONDITIONS FOR INTERNET SALES & OR DELIVERY

1. Alcohol sold or dispatched from the premises will be delivered only to residential or business addresses.
2. The Licenceholder shall always check the age of customers or potential customers, be satisfied that they are aged 18 years or over before any sale is completed and otherwise shall comply with the age related sale provisions in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
3. Sales of alcohol may only take place within your off sales licensed hours (10 am and 10pm). Any person submitting an order out-with the licensed hours is to be advised that the order will be processed after the commencement of the next period of licensed hours.
4. The Licenceholder shall ensure that those persons who deliver the alcohol are aware of the provisions of, and restrictions on, the delivery of alcohol contained in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
5. A notice shall be affixed to every package containing alcohol dispatched from the premises stating that the package shall contain alcohol and that it is an offence to deliver it to a      person under 18 years of age.

This is just a brief summary of the rules and is not exhaustive.You must make a formal request to the clerk of licensing board to do this and each request will be considered separately.  Should you wish to consider this and need assistance please do not hesitate to contact our licensing team – Ali Fleming, Accredited Licensing Paralegal: af@businesslaw.co.ukJohn Cassells, Solicitor: jgc@businesslaw.co.uk. Alternatively, you can call us on 01383 721621.