The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.
Statements
If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named above for any further clarification.
Questions
To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution. Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named above no later than 5pm on Friday 23 May 2014.
Please contact the officer named on the first page of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.
Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.
Minutes:
No questions had been submitted prior to the meeting. There were four members of the public present who wished to make statements in relation to item no 8 on the Agenda – Cumulative Impact Area – Salisbury.
Cllr Matthew Dean – Salisbury City Council
Summary of points raised:
· Salisbury City Council had discussed the results of the consultation and do not feel a CIZ is appropriate for Salisbury and request that the licensing Committee does not agree to implement it;
· Salisbury has the highest shop occupancy in the South West, but lots of work is being done to find alternative uses for empty shops to create a vibrant leisure and tourism economy;
· If a CIZ was to be implemented this would mean a moratorium on new businesses who may wish to invest in the city;
· Salisbury already has “Purple Flag” status and the Council as Licensing Authority does a good job with issuing and monitoring licenses under the current arrangements; and
· The imposition of a CIZ would represent an administrative burden to the Council and to business at a time when resources and capital are scarce.
A Petition containing 17 signatures with the following statement was handed to the Chairman.
“1. We the undersigned believe that the Wiltshire Council proposal to introduce a Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) would be very damaging to the economy and environment of Salisbury and would harm the economic viability of our City Centre.
2. Further, it would place an additional administrative and financial burden on businesses and Wiltshire Council, reduce transparency and democratic accountability for no tangible advantages.
3. We therefore call upon the Licensing Committee of Wiltshire Council to reject these proposals”.
Mr Dominic Imms – Cambridge Wine Merchants
Summary of points raised:
· There has been good investment in the city recently and if there was a CIZ in Salisbury this may mean that retailers move to out of town areas;
· The number of contributors to the consultation was small (82) in comparison to the size of the population (42,000) and we do not feel it represents the wants and needs of the city; and
· If the implications of having a CIZ in Salisbury were fully explained in the consultation then there may have been different responses received.
Ms Amanda Newbery – Chairman of Business Improvement District
Summary of points raised:
· Salisbury is working to pull together as a city to balance out its evening and night time economy;
· The Business Improvement District Group considered the consultation and were not in support of the proposal of a CIZ. This is made up of a number of different people, but we query if this was only counted as one response to the consultation; and
· Please act with caution and don’t do anything to damage Salisbury at this sensitive time.
Cllr John Walsh – Salisbury City Council/Wiltshire Council.
Summary of points raised:
· I wish to ensure a balanced approach to the problems and wish to respect the residents of the city but also enjoy an evening out;
· As a Councillor the residents are not rushing to me with concerns about the licensed premises with the city;
· The crime figures don’t reflect the numbers of people that are going into Salisbury to enjoy a night out compared to Chippenham and Trowbridge;
· There was a poor response to consultation – what does the silent majority think of the proposals?; and
· Do we want to be seen as doing something when maybe this isn’t the right thing? We as councillors will get public comeback if the wrong decision is made today.