Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Nominations for a Chairman of the Licensing Sub-Committee were sought, and it was,

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Trevor Carbin as Chairman for this meeting only.

To consider and determine an Application for a Premises Licence for Late Night Refreshment Licence in respect of a mobile food trailer, Bath Road car park, Melksham.

Application by Mehmet Yilmaz for a Late Night Refreshment Licence for a Mobile Food Trailer, Bath Road Car Park, Melksham

The Licensing Officer introduced the purpose and scope of the application, the premises to which it related and the key issues for consideration.

In accordance with the procedure detailed in the agenda, the Applicant, the Responsible Authorities and the Interested Parties were given the opportunity to address the Sub Committee.

Key points raised by the applicant, Mr Mehmet Yilmez:

·               An agreement has been reached with the police, who have not made a formal objection, with regards conditions including, appropriate CCTV coverage;

·               The car park around the van would be kept clear of rubbish by operators, in addition to bins located at the site of the mobile trailer;

·               A ‘silent generator’ would be used to reduce noise;

·               Children would not be congregating in the area late into the night.

·               If people transported food a long way from the mobile trailer, beyond the car park, operators could not be expected to locate or clear up all rubbish.

·               Many objections had been received from local takeaway owners, which would cause many of the same issues they object to.

Key points raised by interested parties making representations - Cllr Jon Hubbard representing Melksham Town Council and Mr Mehmet Sen (Interested Party) – included the following:

·               There had been many complaints of anti-social behaviour and vandalism from users of King George V playing fields adjacent to the site over the years ;

·               It was felt that the location of the mobile food van would only encourage young people to congregate even longer in the area, causing nuisance to users of the park, local residents and businesses such as the nearby Riverside Club.

·               There had also been issues of litter in the area and again it was felt that this issues would only increase with the mobile food van.

·               CCTV would only cover the area immediately in the vicinity of the mobile food van, and it is the nature of such operations that customers will disperse quickly into surrounding areas, meaning the presence of bins would have a minimal effect, if any.

·               The dropping of litter and food debris as a result of the presence of the mobile food van would attract vermin.

·               The site was very close to a skate park, youth centre and children’s play area, all of which would be negatively impacted by the increased public nuisance from anti-social behaviour encouraged by the presence of a mobile food van and the effects of increased littering.

·               The Town Council objects on the basis on local knowledge, which should be taken into account.

·               The Area Board and Town Council have already funded youth workers at night in the area to patrol the area to resolve issues caused by young people congregating at night, so there would be children around at the time of licensable activity. Local policing teams also occasionally patrolled the area due to difficulties.

·               Young people had been known spin cars in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.