Food Premises Approval
Licence summary If you operate certain food premises, you may need to be approved by North Hertfordshire District Council |   |
Examples of types of premises that are required to be approved local authorities are stand alone (ie not attached to a slaughter house, cutting plant or game handling establishment):
- meat processing plants
- meat preparation plants
- minced meat processing operations and mechanically separated meat processing plants
- cold stores
You should contact the Council to see if you require approval.
Apply online
Apply for an approved food premises licence
Apply by email or post
Please complete this application form and post or email us.
Application for Approval of a Food Business (201.06KB) 
What does it cost?
There is no fee for this application.
What happens to the information given on the form?
We will consider your application and arrange to visit your premises. We will tell you if we require you undertake works to your premises of make changes to you food hygiene systems. We will also tell you if we intend to apply any conditions to your licence.
A register of addresses and the type of business carried out at each will be open to inspection by the general public. Records of the other information provided will not be publicly available.
What happens next?
We aim to acknowledge your application within 3 working days.
We aim to determine applications within 35 calendar days but it is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted.
If you have not heard from us within 35 calendar days, please contact us online if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or contact us. 
What happens if something changes?
If you make any changes to your business that relate to the licence, including changes to the premises or the foods that are handled, you need to tell us so that we can consider if changes to the licence are required.
These notes are provided for information only and should not be regarded as a complete statement of the law. You can tell us about your changes by contacting us.
Tell us about a change affecting your approved food premises licence
More information about the Council’s public register of food premises
Applicant/Licence Holder Redress
If you are unhappy about the way that we have dealt with your application, the Council has a formal mechanism for dealing with such issues. Please see our website Comments, Compliments & Complaints or call our Customer Service Team on 01462 474000.
Consumer Complaint
We would always advise that in the event of a complaint, the first contact is made with the trader by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). If this does not work or do you do not want to contact the trader, please contact us using the contact details below. Where appropriate, you can also obtain advice from Consumer Direct if you are located in the UK or from outside the UK, contact the UK European Consumer Centre.
North Hertfordshire District Council contact details
Details of how to contact the team can be found on the Housing & Public Protection contact page.
Other useful contacts
Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC)
