Agenda, decisions and minutes

To elect a Chairman for the meeting of the Sub Committee.

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

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Simon Jacobs as Chairman for this meeting only.

To receive any apologies for absence and to note any substitutions.

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

To consider and determine an Application for a Premises Licence by Chalke Valley History Festival, at Church Bottom, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, SP5 5DS

Application by The Chalke Valley History Festival, Church Bottom, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, SP5 5DS.

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

·       10 relevant representations in objection had been received.

·       23 relevant representations of support had been received.

·       The event would take place between Sun 25 June 2017 to Monday 23 July 2017.

·       During the consultation period, concerns had been raised that the application had not been advertised properly at the site. Therefore the consultation period had been extended for one week and additional notices had been displayed at the site.

·       The representations in objection had raised concerns relating to noise and the consumption of alcohol. These representations were provided in the agenda pack as appendix 5.

·       The 23 letters of support were provided in the agenda pack as appendix 6.

In accordance with the procedure detailed in the agenda, the Applicant, the Responsible Authorities and those who had made a Relevant Representation were given the opportunity to address the Sub Committee.

Key points raised by Barrister; Marcus Lavell on behalf of the Applicant were:

·       Due to the nature of the application, there was an abundance of evidence available to address the issues raised in the representations of objection.

·       It was noted that no objections had been made by Environmental Health or the Police.

·       The event team recognised that ongoing consultation was essential when putting forward a large-scale event, and had been liaising with partners throughout the planning stages.

Other speakers in support made the following statements:

James Holland, original founder and one of the Directors of the festival:

·       The Festival began in 2011 to raise money for the Cricket Club. The original festival had 12 speakers. The aim was to create an atmosphere where people could have a glass of wine and learn some history.

·       Following the success of that festival, it was realised that they could take it up a notch. A Trust was set up to enhance and teach history to all ages. Those involved felt passionately about the festival and so decided to crank up the event in 2012, with 50/60 speakers, including a spitfire display.

·       The 2012 festival went well, so in 2013 the event was cranked up again, and remained at that level now. The event this year would include a school’s festival.

·       The event was dependant on volunteers of aged 16 and up. The event attracted volunteers locally and internationally.

·       The aim was to inspire people in History. The location was a stunning setting, with droves and ancient linchets.

·       The event hoped to attract as many people from the Chalke Valley as possible, which was why they would be offering free ticket to everyone in the village.

Rachel Holland – One of the Festival Directors, involved from the beginning, was also responsible for the School Festival and logistics:

• Broadchalke was a small quiet village, however there was a history of large scale events being held there,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.