Licensing – a 21st Century experience

The Puppet Theatre Barge moored at Cliveden

Gren Middleton writes about tussles with bureaucracy

At the beginning of 2003, having been able to escape an Entertainments licence for 20 years, I realised my time was up. In March of that year I wrote to the then Minister of Tourism, Film and Broadcasting, who was steering the bill through Parliament, asking if the Puppet Theatre Barge, a peripatetic venue, would need a licence at each place it moored. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport replied “with regard to your Barge, you would only need to apply for one premises licence from the licensing authority in the area where the barge is usually moored or berthed.” The 2003 Licensing Act was published and I researched it thoroughly, studied the Westminster City Licensing Strategy, established my planning rights and following two meetings with Westminster Council licensing officers I finally submitted an application for a Premises Licence.

I feel some sort of body should reward me or perhaps even the Queen for completing the application. It has been a nightmare that is ongoing. Our authority is the City of Westminster where there are more venues per square inch than any other borough in the country, peradventure in the world, so the different agencies that operate in the borough are very experienced. The people living in the vicinity of the mooring live in very expensive houses so are very aware of what goes on in the neighbourhood and have an active well-run local society that watches Little Venice like a colony of hungry hawks.

I had to send copies of the application together with a plan of the barge to 9 different agencies such as the Police, the Fire Service, the Child Protection Agency, Health And Safety & Community Protection, the Planning Authority, British Waterways, The Environment Agency, the Port of London Authority plus, unbelievably, the Marine and Coastguard Agency of which more later. The cost of the plans, the postage and copying was approximately £100 plus an enormous amount of time and effort. Fortunately I had a well draughted plan of the barge that only needed a little updating; an architect friend did this for me at no cost. Had I not had the plan the cost would have been outrageous.

The law states that you have to exhibit a notice in 16 point on pale blue paper for 28 days and if the frontage is more that 20 metres you need 2 notices. In addition one has to advertise the notice in a local paper, the cost; £350

The cost of the licence is normally based on the rateable value but as we do not pay council tax it was £100. The total up to this stage is £550

We got through the hoops with flying colours and have got our precious Premises Licence, with permission to perform plays and recorded music on the barge at any mooring in the country. However, a new and unexpected source of bureaucracy has arisen, namely, the Coastguard, who has placed the barge into a category of vessel called Domestic Passenger Ships of Classes III – VI (A). Their surveyor, Captain Clive Knowles, has asked for a number of modifications to the barge which all cost money; I estimate that it will run to approximately £2000. One stipulation that has been made is that we get a ‘heel test’ done, an expensive and unnecessary test.

I have objected to being placed in a category of passenger ships as we do not carry passengers but entertain audiences whilst the barge is moored up – that’s the way to do it or is it? - I am awaiting the outcome. Punch performers never had it so easy!

Gren Middleton
Puppet Theatre Proprietor

The Puppet Theatre Barge folded down and in a lock on the Thames