Layer Village Hall

Licence summary from On Licence, 26 September 2026

Premises: Layer Village Hall
Address: Layer Village Hall, New Cut, Layer De La Haye, Essex, CO2 0EH
Licence: Premises licence, M004265
Status: In force (register: Current Licence)
Issued: 9 August 2005
Licensing authority: Colchester City Council
Activities: Sale of alcohol, Recorded music, Live music, Films, Plays, Dance, Indoor sporting events

What the licence permits

Opening hours on the licence: Every day 08:30-00:00
Alcohol Sales - On Premises: Every day 10:00-23:30
Alcohol Sales - On Premises, non-standard times: New Years Eve until 00.30 hrs
Perform Play - Indoors: Thu to Sat 18:00-23:30
Perform Play - Indoors, non-standard times: To take place three times a year on various dates at the discretion of the management committee. May be in the grounds of the premises in summer but very rare due to weather/sets etc.
Film - Indoors: Mon to Fri 10:00-22:30
Film - Indoors, non-standard times: To take place at the discretion of the management committee and on availability of the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Indoor Sports Event: Mon and Tue 09:30-23:00, Wed 17:30-23:00, Thu and Fri 09:30-23:00, Sat 09:30-23:30, Sun 09:30-23:00
Indoor Sports Event, non-standard times: Bowls - Short mat Badminton Darts
Live Music - Indoors: Every day 12:00-23:30
Live Music - Indoors, non-standard times: New Years Eve until 01.00 New Years Eve until 01.00 New Years Eve until 01.00 New Years Eve until 01.00
Recorded Music - Indoors: Every day 12:00-23:30
Recorded Music - Indoors, non-standard times: New Years Eve until 01.00 New Years Eve until 01.00 New Years Eve until 01.00 New Years Eve until 01.00
Performance of Dance Indoors: Every day 10:00-23:00
Performance of Dance Indoors, non-standard times: At discretion of Q.E. Hall committee.
Activity like Music/Dance - In: Every day 10:00-23:00
Activity like Music/Dance - In, non-standard times: At discretion of Q.E. Hall committee.
Activity like Music/Dance - In: Every day 12:00-00:00
Activity like Music/Dance - In: Mon to Thu 10:00-22:00, Fri and Sat 10:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-22:00
Capacity: 100

Licence conditions (8)

The hall will open for licensable events at times and days which are at the discretion of the management committee. We will exercise common sense, to ensure that the use of the hall does not conflict with the interests of residents. Normally those benefiting from the licensable activities will be drawn from only part of the community or they may be outsiders. Local residents have a right to peace and quiet, so a balance will be sought between the frequency of evening hall bookings and the amount of moderate disturbance which the activities are likely to cause. Dependant on the day of the week - where music is played or where users are consuming alcohol from a bar the event should stop at between 23.00 to 23.30 so that the hall is clear by 23.30 - 24.00. The exception to this will be New Years Eve where the event will stop at 00.30 and the hall would be cleared by 01.00.On those rare occasions when a special celebration involves most of the community, it will be appropriate for the committee to allow use of the hall into the early hours (e.g. Queens Golden Jubilee).At the discretion of the management committee the hall may be made available for users which are not licensable activities, at times when no licensable activities are taking place.,.
The hall is a community facility not a business designed for profit. With a few exceptions responsible figures from the local community are present at any event held in the hall and at family events children are supervised by their parents/guardians.There is a natural pressure on users of the hall to behave themselves and we are confident that we do not face any major crime and disorder challenges.We will concentrate on having sensible rules for hall lettings and ensure that anyone who supervises the hall knows what is expected of them and has the backing to step in and sort out problems if they need to.Alcohol can fuel arguments and give rise to anti-social behaviour so we will pay particular attention to discos or events with bars.In general, using licensed door supervisors will not be part of our plans because if we felt that level of security was necessary, we would not approve the hall booking in the first place. The approach which we will take is to ensure that there are sufficient people present during functions who are in a position to exercise authority. We will insist that those people remain sober.,.
Most of the public safety aspects of running our hall relate to the general activities held there. Licensable activities do not create many extra challenges. The additional safety issues are potential overcrowding, special equipment brought in for events and consumption of alcohol. We have a maximum safe occupancy for the hall and we will make sure it is not exceeded. Lighting rigs and scenery can fall and cause injury, defective equipment can produce smoke and burning. We also have to take into account that alcohol consumption by users will make them less aware of risks and slower to respond to emergencies and they may tamper with equipment so when making our health and safety arrangements and when revising them, we will pay particular attention to these issues. Our top priority is to make sure that everyone gets out of the building quickly and safety, if a dangerous situation arises.We take a single approach to dealing with all of the public safety issues affecting the hall. This umbrella approach also takes into account our licensing responsibilities.A risk assessed approach is used to identify and deal with problems effectively. Maintenance has a key role to play in making sure our premises are safe, so along side our risk assessments, we have long term plans for keeping the hall in good order.We also have annual electrical inspections, annual emergency lighting inspections and fire equipment inspections by the appropriate specialist/contractors.,.
Any event which involves live or recorded music has the potential to disturb neighbours but the soundtrack to a film or incidental music to a play are unlikely to be a problem. Live bands, discos or karoke will likely generate loud volume inside the hall. Our hall was not specially designed/constructed to contain noise, although it has a high roof which helps to disperse the noise, and it would be impractical to provide a high standard of sound proofing. On hot days, although we have ceiling fans it can get very warm inside the building and people may want to open the windows and doors. With our neighbours doing the same this is the time when the risk of noise nuisance is at its highest.We will respond with a common sense approach to this problem. If opening doors or windows cannot be avoided we will make sure that it is done on the side of the building not facing towards nearby houses. Where hall users go outside to smoke music could escape when the doors are opened. We will make the best use of the lobbies to try to prevent this escape of noise.We may cut the occupancy numbers in summer so that there is less need for ventilation, as crowds add to the build up of heat. By putting up signs or by making announcements (or both) we will encourage hall users to be considerate on leaving. Most of the people like to attend events and will want to attend again in the future so we can bring some pressure to bear if anyone engages in unacceptable behaviour.,.
Where children use the hall they either do so with their parents (in which case there is no special issue for us) or with a guardian or they attend under the supervision of a youth leader or another responsible person. Generally we can rely on parents to decide which events in the hall are appropriate for their children and at what time they should be taken home beyond the specific controls on the age at which children can see certain films and the age restrictions built into the Licensing Act where alcohol is sold, we will discharge our responsibilities simply as acting as good citizens. We our bound by other legislation to ensure that any adult who looks after children on the premises is a suitable person to do that.,.
Live and amplified music finish at 23.30,.
The Foyer door must be kept closed, other than for access and egress, when events involving amplified sound are taking place.,.
1.Not more than 100 persons shall be allowed to be present on the premises when it is being used for any purposes authorised by this licence.2.No alteration to the purpose of this licence i.e. Music & Dancing, will be allowed unless it has been applied for in writing by way of it being a variation to the terms and conditions of the licence issued.,.

Licensed hours are the most a premises may open or trade under its licence, not its actual opening times.

Compiled from Colchester City Council's public licensing register. The council's register is the authoritative record. https://onlicence.uk/premises/layer-village-hall-co2-c4c3aff95d