Agenda and minutes

It was moved by Councillor Bolton and seconded by Councillor Page, that Councillor Andrews be appointed Chairman for the meeting. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that Councillor Andrews be appointed Chairman for the meeting.

To receive apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

To receive any Members’ Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the Minutes of Previous Sub-Committee meetings:

8 November 2021

It was moved by Councillor Bolton and seconded by Councillor Page that the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2021 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. After being put to the meeting, and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2021 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman summarised the procedure for Sub-Committee hearing. All those present were introduced or introduced themselves.

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer presented his report covering an application for a new premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003. The Sub-Committee was advised that on 14 March 2022, Lidl Great Britain Limited submitted an application for a new premises licence at 295 – 297 Stansted Road, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2BT. The application sought permission for the supply of alcohol for consumption off of the premises, Monday - Sunday 07:00 – 23:00.

Members were advised that the applicant had proposed a number of steps which they intended to take to promote the four licensing objectives. These included the training of staff and the operation of a Challenge 25 policy.

Members were further advised that there had been seven valid representations received from local residents acting as interested parties, which could be seen at Appendix B of the report. The representations from residents raised concerns of noise, safety from traffic and anti-social behaviour and engaged the public safety, prevention of public nuisance and prevention of crime and disorder licensing objectives. There had been no representations received from the Authorities.

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer drew Members’ attention to an error at paragraph 3.9 in the report, and confirmed that the site of the proposed premises was not a field, that it was instead currently being utilised by a car manufacturer as a service garage. 

Members were advised that if they believed that the application would not promote the four licencing objectives, they should take appropriate and proportionate action to address these concerns. The Sub-Committee could attach conditions, limit the hours or restrict licensable activities. The application should only be refused as a last resort and the Members’ decision should be evidence based, justified, appropriate and proportionate.  

The applicant’s legal representative briefly introduced the application. She referred to the representations received from residents, shown at pages 73 – 79 of the report, and said that they contained general, unsubstantiated comments which were not based on evidence. She advised that the application included a request to trade alcohol on Sundays between 07:00 – 23:00, but clarified that this request had been made only in anticipation of any possible future relaxation in Sunday trading hours. 

The applicant’s legal representative said that Lidl had 860 stores in the UK, and was therefore experienced at operating units in different locations, including those in towns and on retail parks. She said that Lidl was aware of its responsibilities and provided extensive training to staff to prevent the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18, to those who are intoxicated, and to recognise the signs of proxy purchases. She said that all staff were required to complete this training prior to working on the shop floor, and to complete refresher training at least every six months, with records kept of this training.

She continued by saying that Lidl also employed external  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

The Chairman summarised the procedure for the Sub-Committee hearing. All those present were introduced or introduced themselves.

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer presented his report covering an application for a new time limited premises licence made on 3 March 2022 by Integrated Event Management Ltd under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003, for a festival to be held at Hillside Farm, Hillside Lane, Great Amwell, Ware, Hertfordshire.

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer said that the application was resubmitted on 9 March 2022 after errors had been identified in respect of the requested dates. The Sub-Committee was advised that the application had been correctly advertised and consulted upon as required by legislation and regulations. Members were advised that the application sought the following licensable activities to be granted:

·                                   Live and recorded music and the performance of dance between 11 am and 11 pm Thursday to Sunday;

·                                   Late night refreshment between 11 pm and 1 am

Members were advised that the application, if granted, restricted these times to two events to be held at the premises over two weekends between 9 May and 1 August 2022.

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer said that the applicant had stated a number of steps to promote the licensing objectives and these included a requirement that all operations would be carried out in conjunction with a comprehensive management plan. Members were advised that the management team would consist of eight senior managers and there would be a risk assessment produced for the event. There would be a minimum of four personal licence holders to supervise the sale of alcohol at all times.

The Sub-Committee was advised that there would be a suitably sized team of SIA personnel wearing body worn cameras. The event would have a comprehensive drugs policy, prohibited items policies and search policies. The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer said that competent medical provider would be present and a competent contractor would be appointed to review all risks and review the use of noise management plan.

Members were advised that the applicant would employ a cleansing team to remove litter and waste in line with a no trace policy. A Challenge 25 policy would be in place as well as a policy to ensure the protection of children from harm. These measures were further supported by conditions which had agreed with Environmental Health.

The Sub-Committee was advised that 2 representations against the application were received during the consultation period; one of which was from the parish council and the other was from a resident who was concerned about noise and public safety. The representations engaged the following licensing objectives:

·                         Prevention of public nuisance

·                         Public safety

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer said that in respect of the gas pipe line in the locality, the applicant had taken advice from Cadent Gas regarding temporary structures. The Event Management Plan (EMP) had been through the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and it had been concluded that no further meetings were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chairman of the meeting, is of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration and is not likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information.

There was no urgent business.