Section 53, The Petroleum Regulatory Agency Act, 2014

(1) An application for a liquefied petroleum gas storelicence shall be made to the Executive-Chairman by either a trader or a dealer. (2) Every application for a liquefied petroleum gas store licence shall be accompanied by the certificate issued by the Director of Public Works. (3) The Executive-Chairman shall, on receiving an application for a liquefied petroleum gas store licence, issue a notice under his hand in the form prescribed in Part IV of the First Schedule or as the circumstances shall permit. (4) The Executive-Chairman shall cause the notice to be published once in the Gazette and to be affixed for a period of not less than ten days, outside the police station nearest to the proposed site of the premises, if in Freetown, or if elsewhere, outside the office of the District Officer. (5) The notice shall fix a day for the hearing of the application for a licence which shall not be less than ten days from the date of the publication. (6) Subject to sub regulation (7) the Agency shall grant a liquefied petroleum gas licence if it is satisfied - (a) that the premises, in respect of which the licence is applied for, complies with Regulations 22 and 24 as are relevant to the licence required; (b) in the case of a Licence A2 or E, that the premises, if situated in Freetown, is situated in a section of Freetown in which inflammable roofs are prohibited; Filling of cylinders. Application for liquefied store licence. 38 39 (c) in the case of a Licence A2, that a clear space of at least three feet in width will be left between the various storage sheds and a clear space of at least twenty, thirty, fifty or seventy feet between such sheds and the boundaries of the licensee’s premises; (d) that the applicant desires the store or tank to be licensed to contain- (i) more than Nine Hundred and Eight litres and less than Twenty Two Thousand litres; (ii) more than Twenty Two Thousand Seven Hundred litres and less than One Hundred and Thirteen Thousand Five Hundred litres; (iii) more than One Hundred and Thirteen Thousand Five Hundred, Two Hundred and Twenty Seven Thousand litres and less than Two Hundred and Twenty Seven Thousand litres; or (iv) more than Two Hundred and Twenty Seven Thousand litres. (e) in the case of a Licence E, that a clear space of at least three feet in width will be left between the various storage sheds, and a clear space of at least twenty or forty feet between such sheds and the boundaries of the licensee’s premises; (f) the applicant desires the store or tank to be licensed to contain - (i) more than thirty metric tons, or less than fifty metric tons; or (ii) more than fifty metric tons respectively. (7) A liquefied petroleum gas store licence shall be in the form as set out in Part III of the First Schedule. (8) The Executive-Chairman may in his discretion withhold a licence if he is of the opinion that the nature of the neighbouring buildings is such as to render it undesirable to grant a licence, notwithstanding that the above conditions as to distances have been satisfied. (9) Where the Director of Public Works has issued a certificate, the Agency may decide whether to grant or refuse to grant a licence, based on such certificate. (10) Provided, where such certificate has been granted, the Agency shall not refuse to grant a licence based on some question of fact contained in the certificate and shall not form an opinion contrary to that expressed in the certificate, without hearing the evidence of the Director of Public Works.