Yep, are your dealings with the council beer related?boingy wrote:And of course the licensing is entirely separate from the HMRC stuff, which means there is a different set of hoops to jump through and a whole different set of people to keep happy, in this case the council. I can only hope that the council licensing department you deal with is of a higher calibre than the waste and recycling department I'm currently dealing with.
I spoke to the council planning about a brew shed a while ago (project on hold due to a 'domestic authority' much greater than the local council!) and they were quite helpful and seemed happy with the scale, they asked if it was a hobby or commercial and did not raise licensing. I thought at the time that was where my contact with them would end, but on reflection it is probably a different department that deal with licensing, so I guess there is another conversation to be had. Here's the email exchange with the planners about the brew shed;
From Council
Thank you for your email.
In order to assist with your enquiry, I would be grateful if you could please provide the following information:
1. A sketch drawing or plan showing the dimensions of the proposed shed (including height) and location within the garden (indicating the distances to the boundaries);
2. I note your comment regarding the donation of casks to local charities, but please could you advise whether the proposed brewing is for personal purposes/a hobby, or if you intend selling the beer on a commercial basis?
3. What are the proposed hours and days of operation and will any staff will be employed?
4. Will any deliveries of equipment, ingredients or products will take place? How frequent would these be and how will they be managed?
5. Will any noise or smell be generated, and how will refuse or waste be disposed of?
6. Will the proposed use generate any visitors to the property?
7. Are any advertisements or signage proposed?
My reply
Thank you for your email, I have prepared and attached a sketch of what I hope to do. Below are the answers to your questions;
1. In the sketch I have placed the shed 30cm from the nearest boundary and over 5m from other boundaries and the house. I was originally thinking the shed would be made of wood, but I understand that I could build it from brick, is that correct?
2. The purpose is as a hobby, but if I donate to charity events then under customs and excise this counts as commercial.
3. I would brew no more than one day per week, which could be any day. It takes about 7 hours to prepare a brew, this period would be between 6am and 9pm.
4. One brew per week amounts to only 2 casks of beer [I over did this just to be sure, I'll never brew that much], this needs about a 20kg sack of grain, so maybe one delivery by hand from a small van per month, if that.
5. One of the final steps in the brewing process is a 60-90 minute boil, this generates a malty smell. The smell is no stronger than typical cooking smells, in my opinion. I currently boil my home brews in the garden and the smell is not very noticable. I intend to compost the waste for my veg patch and garden, it makes great compost.
6. I suppose some people may be interested in seeing the shed, set up or the process, but I would not be selling to people from the shed or trying to attract people to the shed to sell them beer from it.
7. No advertising on the property is intended, I may put a sign above the door of the shed or something.
Regards
Council reply
Thank you for your email and drawing.
Based on the information you provided, I am of the opinion that planning permission would not be required for the proposed shed, under Schedule 2 Part 1 Class E of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order as amended 2008, provided that the height of the shed does not exceed 2.5 metres. It may be constructed of brick or wood.
I would also advise that you contact us again should the nature of the use alter or intensify, so that we can reassess the proposals and advise accordingly.
Please note this is an officer's informal view based upon the information currently available. This information is given in the spirit of helpfulness and without prejudice to the consideration of any formal application that may be submitted. It does not in any way prejudice any further decision Solihull MBC may wish to make or override any other legal covenants. Should you require a formal determination, you may apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development; further details are available on the Planning Portal website at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permis ... ertificate.
Irrespective of any planning consideration you may require building regulations consent; I have passed your email to our Building Control team and they will respond in due course.
Building control said no permission was required, but advised about part P.
I'm 33..and they still wanted his passport and hes 62...he was delighted. 
and he still didn't tell my wife 
It's also very relaxed about allowing you to share with friends, as long as you aren't collecting money. So this allows beer to be traded, shared at club meetings, mailed cross-country to homebrew contests, etc. Only recently have there been any legal concerns over beer festivals where homebrewers are serving their own beers and attendees pay an entrance fee. To be honest, I never understood how they got away with it so long, but there's a lot of talk about rewriting the law to officially allow that too!