Introduction
Legal basis for private hire operator licensing
For anyone to invite or accept bookings for private hire vehicles and drivers within Knowsley, it is a mandatory requirement to hold a Private Hire Operator licence for a premise within the Knowsley MBC area.
Planning approval is always required for a private hire booking office where prospective hirers may attend in person or where vehicles may be in attendance.
You must either:
- Find premises with existing planning permission or,
- Obtain and produce planning consent via a Certificate of Lawful Use for the premise you intend to use.
If you only intend to invite, accept, record and despatch bookings from a premise in Knowsley where no personal callers and no more than one vehicle may be stored then you may not need planning consent if you accept the following additional licensing conditions:
- No personal callers to the premises and no waiting room at the premises.
- No radio mast at the premises.
- Max one vehicle parked at the premises (to be driven by the resident licensed driver or stored elsewhere).
- Only basic minor maintenance of vehicle permitted at the premise.
- No unnecessary obstruction of the highway or nuisance to neighbours to be caused by the operation.