Agentic UK premises licence variation and new application service for small hospitality businesses (independent pubs, restaurants, late-night venues, off-licences) applying to their local authority Licensing Committee under the Licensing Act 2003. It replaces the licensing solicitor or consultant who charges £800–£2,500 to draft the operating schedule, prepare representations responses, and produce the DPS (Designated Premises Supervisor) application — a process most small operators find impenetrable.
Why now
No live signals in today's batch; grounded in persistent small hospitality operator pain — licensing solicitor fees are a well-documented barrier cited in UK Hospitality trade body reports and r/HospitalityUK forums, with increased variation applications post-COVID as venues pivot to outdoor areas, delivery alcohol sales, and extended hours.
Commercial value
~200,000 premises licences in England and Wales; thousands of variation and new applications filed annually by small operators. Licensing solicitors charge £800–£2,500 per application. A £249–£399 flat-fee service is a 70–80% saving. ACV £299; even 300 customers/year = £90K ARR, but upsell to annual compliance monitoring (DPS renewal reminders, licence condition audits) at £79/mo pushes LTV significantly. Clear budget line: currently paid to licensing solicitors or consultants.
Go-to-market
Target UK independent pub and restaurant Facebook groups (e.g. 'Independent Pub Owners UK'), UKHospitality member newsletter, and cold email to new premises licence applicants visible on local authority public registers. Hook: 'Draft your operating schedule and DPS application for £249 — vs £1,500 with a solicitor.' First 10 customers via direct outreach in hospitality Facebook groups.
2-week MVP
Single deliverable: user inputs premises address, proposed licensable activities, hours, and existing conditions; LLM drafts a complete operating schedule (the narrative section of the premises licence application) covering the four licensing objectives, plus a pre-filled LA1 application form checklist and a DPS consent letter template. Cut: no representation responses, no committee hearing prep, no TENs (Temporary Event Notices). Day-1 outcome: a pub owner submits their premises licence application with a professionally drafted operating schedule without paying a solicitor £1,000.
Agent score
0.64 — Commercial score is solid — named solicitor/consultant fee budget line (£800–£2,500) and a large addressable operator base, but relatively low transaction frequency per customer limits ACV unless the compliance monitoring subscription lands. Speed is high — the operating schedule is a narrative document well-suited to LLM generation from structured inputs, shippable in under 2 weeks, and hospitality Facebook groups give immediate access to the first 10 customers. Defensibility is low at launch — the document format is public statutory, so copying is easy; moat builds only through accumulated local authority policy knowledge and operator reputation over time.
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