Any premises that wants to offer sexual entertainment or relevant entertainment on a regular basis before a live audience for the financial gain of the organiser or the entertainer must have a sexual entertainment venue (SEV) licence.
We have produced a brief guidance note intended to provide licensed operators in Cheltenham with information about what is permitted if you offer, or intend to offer, adult entertainment at your premises.
Relevant entertainment is any live performance or live display of nudity which is of such a nature that, ignoring financial gain, it must reasonably be assumed to be provided solely or principally for the purpose of sexually stimulating any member of the audience (whether by verbal or other means). Examples include, amongst other things, lap dancing, pole dancing and strip shows.
By law, a premises can offer relevant entertainment on an infrequent basis without the need for a sexual entertainment venue licence. For this to apply, the relevant entertainment should not occur for longer that 24 hours, with at least a calendar month separating each occasion, and on no more than 11 occasions over a 12 month period. To take advantage of this exemption, the premises must have the required permissions (such as performance of dance and music) under the Licensing Act 2003 either by means of a Temporary Event Notice or the premises' current premises licence.
To apply for this licence, you must
Cheltenham Borough Council has adopted a policy statement on the licensing and regulation of sexual entertainment venues (SEV). We strongly advise applicants to read the policy before making an application.
The council has decided that it would not be appropriate to license SEVs outside the adopted core shopping area (see page 10 of the policy). Therefore, the number of permitted SEVs outside the adopted core shopping area is zero.
Inside the adopted core shopping area the council will not set a limit on the number of permitted SEVs and each application will be determined on a case-by-case basis in line with the policy criteria.
To make an application, you must submit:
Fees will be payable for applications and conditions may be attached.
| Item | Fee |
| Deposit (non-refundable) | £1298.58 |
| Initial application (remainder) | £1298.58 |
| Subsequent fee | £665.52 |
| Transfer or variation | £665.52 |
| Item | Fee |
| Deposit (non-refundable) | £2100.00 |
| Initial application (remainder) | £2591.40 |
| Subsequent fee | £2591.40 |
| Transfer or variation | £942.90 |
Once your application has been submitted and approved, a notice must be displayed at or on the premises to which the application relates for a period of not less than 21 consecutive days beginning on the day after the application was given to the council, where it can be conveniently read from the exterior of the premises.
Where the premises cover an area of more than 50 square metres, a further identical notice must be displayed every 50 metres along the external perimeter of the premises next to any highway.
The notice must be on pale blue paper sized A4 or larger and printed legibly in black ink or typed in black in a font size equal to or larger than 16.
The notice must state:
A similar notice must also be published in a local newspaper or similar document within seven days of giving the application to the council.
All applications for the grant of a new sexual entertainment venue licence will be referred to a licensing committee for determination. The committee will take into account the criteria set out in section three of the policy with regards to the character, relevant locality and the appropriate number of sexual entertainment venues for the relevant locality.
In determining the application, the licensing committee will have regard to this policy statement, the application itself and any objections that may have been made. In all cases, each application will be determined on its own merits.
No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the local authority within a reasonable period, please contact it.
The holder of a sexual entertainment venue licence may apply at any time for a variation of the terms, conditions or restrictions on the licence.
The process of applying for a variation is the same as applying for an initial grant, except that a plan of the premises is not required unless the application involves structural alterations to the premises.
The holder of a sexual entertainment venue licence may apply for renewal of the licence. For the licence to continue to have effect during the renewal process, a valid application form together with the appropriate fee must be submitted before the current licence expires.
The process of applying for the renewal of a licence is the same as applying for an initial grant except that a plan of the premises is not required.
A person may apply for the transfer of a licence at any time.
The process of applying for the transfer of a licence is the same as that for applying for an initial grant except that a plan of the premises is not required.
These guidance notes must be read in conjunction with the council's Sexual Entertainment Venue Policy Statement.
There are a number of mandatory and discretionary grounds of refusal of an SEV licence.
A licence cannot be granted:
The council may also refuse an application where:
Zero may be an appropriate number for the purposes of point c above.
By law, any decision the council makes on applications for an SEV licence, must relate to one or more of the above grounds for refusal.
There is a 28 day consultation period for SEV licence applications. To give people an opportunity to make representation, a blue public notice will be displayed outside the relevant premises for a minimum period of 21 consecutive days. In addition, a public notice will also be published in a local newspaper, normally Gloucestershire Live, within 7 days.
Objectors must give notice of their objection in writing, stating the general terms of the objections (see below).
Any person can object to or support an application for an SEV licence but the objection must be relevant to the grounds for refusal set out above.
The council does not take any moral stand in adopting this policy. We recognise that parliament has made it lawful to operate sexual entertainment venues, and that such businesses are a legitimate part of the retail and leisure industries. It is our role as the licensing authority to administer the licensing regime in line with the law.
For this reason, objections should not be made on moral grounds or values and we will not consider such objections as relevant.
Where we receive notices of any objections we will, before considering the application, give notice in writing of the general terms of the objection to the applicant. We will not, without the consent of the person making the objection, reveal their name or address to the applicant.
However, you must be aware that your objection will form part of a report submitted to the council's Licensing Committee and that report will be made available in the public domain which means your name may be listed as an objector.
© Cheltenham Borough Council 2026
