Agenda, decisions and minutes

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

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Jonathon Seed as Chairman for this meeting only.

The Chairman explained the procedure to be followed at the hearing, as contained within the agenda pack.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

To consider and determine an Application for a Variation of a Premises Licence by Wadworth and Company Limited in respect of The Royal Oak, 11 High Street, Easterton, Devizes, SN10 4PE.

Application by Wadworth & Company Ltd.for a Variation of a Premises Licence at Royal Oak, 11 High Street Easterton, SN10 4PE

The Licensing Officer introduced the purpose and scope of the application, the premises to which it related and the key issues for consideration. A correction was made to paragraph 2.2 of the report, clarifying that for the sentence “In accordance with Section 35(3) of The Licensing Act 2003 the Licensing Sub Committee is required to take such of the steps listed in 2.4 below as it considers necessary for the promotion of the licensing objectives”, the phrase ‘considers necessary’, should be substituted with ‘considers appropriate’ as required under current legislation.

In accordance with the procedure detailed in the agenda, the representative for the Licence Holder, Wadworths and Company Ltd., and Tenant and Designated Premises Supervisor were given the opportunity to address the Sub Committee. No others who had made representations were present to address the Sub Committee.

Key points raised by Mr Phillip Evans, Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), and Mr Lloyd Stephens on behalf of the Licence Holder, were:

·               There was no intention to hold events on every Friday and Saturday, but to enable flexibility in scheduling;

·               There had been no recorded complaints or police visits during the four licensed events in the past 12 months;

·               Of the three remaining representations, two were not permanent residents of the village;

·               The additional conditions agreed in the agenda pack were felt to be sufficient to meet the licensing objectives and concerns of those making representations regarding public nuisance and potential disorder;

·               The tenant of the pub as a good track record and there have been no concerns raised about the operation of the establishment to date.

The Sub-Committee then asked questions of the applicants, and raised points including the following:

·           The Sub Committee sought further clarity on how, during the period in which no further customers were to be allowed in, the owners would ensure that someone leaving the building to smoke was not replaced by someone not previously present before the cut-off time. It was stated the DPS would keep track of all customers present at the time of cut-off, to prevent new customers to enter after this time, as had been done at the recent New Years.

·           The Sub Committee raised the issue of signs and notifications of events that might disturb residents, and it was stated in the past the local residents would be informed in writing of scheduled events which might produce more noise than usual. It was clarified that this practice would continue, however, this would not include occasions where no event was scheduled, but the premises were open at the new proposed hours.

·           The Sub Committee further sought details on the capacity and clientele of the Royal Oak, and commented that taxi pick-ups from the car park of the property could be advised to switch off their engines.

The Sub Committee members sought clarification on some points before retiring to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.