There are three types of Sex Establishment: Sexual Entertainment Venue (such as a lap dancing club); Sex Shop (a premises selling, to a significant degree, explicit sex toys, magazines and films); and Sex Cinema (a premises showing explicit films). All require a Sex Establishment Licence from the Milton Keynes Council.

Any application for a Sex Establish Licence must be determined by the Regulatory Committee and must undergo a 28 day public consultation

Who can apply?

An applicant:

• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must not be disqualified from holding a licence
• Must have been resident in the UK at least six months immediately before the application or, if a body corporate, must be incorporated in the UK
• Must not have been refused the grant or renewal of a licence for the premises in question within the last 12 months unless the refusal has been reversed on appeal

What do the regulations say?

Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982

On 16 March 2011, the Milton Keynes Council adopted an amendment to the Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1982 by Section 27 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009. This effectively permitted Sexual Entertainment Venues (SEVs), commonly viewed as strip clubs/ lap dancing clubs etc., to be licensed as Sex Establishments.

Section 27 Amendment

Sex Establishment Policy

The current policy can be accessed here Sex Establishment Policy.

Fees

Please see current fees list Regulatory Services - Licensing Fees 2023 - 2024

Please note: there is now a separate licence grant fee which is payable prior to issue of new and renewal establishment licences.  A licensing team member will contact you to arrange for this payment prior to issue of the licence. There is also a charge to apply variations or transfer this licence

What documents are required?

Applications must be in writing (including by electronic means) and contain any information the local authority requires, as well as the applicant's name, address and, where the applicant is an individual, their age, plus the address of the premises.

Applicants must give public notice of their application by publishing an advertisement in a local newspaper.

Is the licence granted if you do not hear from the Licensing Authority? - (Tacit Consent)

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 Licensing Authority within the target period of 56 days, please contact us.

You can do this online here if you applied through the UK Welcomes service.

How to Apply

Fees will be payable for applications and conditions may be attached.

Applications must be in writing (including by electronic means) and contain any information the local authority requires, as well as the applicant's name, address and, where the applicant is an individual, their age, plus the address of the premises.

Within seven days of the application being served, a public notice of the application must be published in a local paper. A public notice must be displayed on the premises for at least 21 days.

A copy of the application must be served on the Thames Valley Police within seven days of the application being served on the Milton Keynes Council.

APPLY ONLINE:

• Apply for a licence for a sex establishment
• Tell us about a change to your existing sex establishment licence

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM AND APPLY BY POST:

• Sex Establishment Application form (PDF, 187KB)

What if the application is refused?

Please contact Milton Keynes Council in the first instance.

Any applicant who is refused a licence, or refused the renewal of a licence, may, within 21 days of being notified of the refusal, appeal to the local magistrates' court.

However, the right to appeal does not apply where the licence was refused on the grounds that:

• The number of sex establishments in the area exceeds the number which the authority consider is appropriate

• The grant of the licence would be inappropriate considering the character of the area, the nature of other premises in the area, or the premises themselves

As the licensee can I appeal against a condition?

Please contact Milton Keynes Council in the first instance.

A licence holder who wishes to appeal against a condition can appeal to a local magistrates' court.

Licence holders may at any time apply to the authority for a variation of the terms, conditions or restrictions in their licence.

If an application for a variation is refused, or if the licence is revoked, the licence holder may, within 21 days of being notified of the imposition of, or the refusal to vary, the term, condition or restriction in question, or of the revocation, appeal to the local magistrates' court.

A licence holder may also appeal to the crown court against a decision of a magistrates' court.

Can I object against an application?

Any person objecting to an application for the grant, renewal or transfer of a licence may give written notice of their objection to the Licensing Authority, stating the grounds of the objection, within 28 days of the date of the application.

Licensing Register

There is one Sexual Entertainment Venue and one Sex Shop in Milton Keynes.