Agenda item

The Licensing Sub-Committee received a report presented by the Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer on the application for a new premises licence for Standon Calling Limited, Standon Lordship, Barwick Road, Standon, Hertfordshire, SG11 1PR.

 

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer summarised the application and said that the public objectors had not been able to attend the hearing. The Sub-Committee were advised that their representations had not been changed or updated as there had been no mediation with the applicant during or since the consultation period.

 

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer said that Hertfordshire Police Licensing, assisted by Hertfordshire Highways, had been mediating with the applicant and had provided a list of proposed conditions. He said that these conditions had been agreed upon and as such mitigated the police representations. He said that the Sub-Committee should consider whether these agreed conditions mitigated the public representations.

 

The Licensing Sub-Committee and the applicant asked a number of questions of the Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer, which he responded to.

 

There were no questions from the Police to the Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer.

 

The applicant made his submission in support of the application. The Sub-Committee asked a number of questions of the applicant, and he responded to the questions from Members.

 

Sergeant Nathan Howson made his submission on behalf of Hertfordshire Police Constabulary, and he explained that 31 conditions had been agreed upon with the applicant that negated the initial concerns of the Police as responsible authority.

 

The Sub-Committee asked a number of questions of the Police as the responsible authority.

 

The applicant made his final submission to the Sub-Committee and there were no final comments from the Police as a responsible authority.

 

In line with the procedure, Sub Committee Members retired to consider the case. They were accompanied by the Committee Support Officer and the Sub-Committee’s Legal Advisor.

 

The Sub Committee reconvened in public session to give its decision. The Chair said that having reviewed the application and the written representations submitted, the Licensing Sub-Committee has determined to grant the application subject to the following:

1)                 To grant the Premises licence sought for:

(i)                 Provision of plays

            Monday – Thursday             10:00 – 23:00

            Friday – Sunday                    10:00 – 02:00

 

(ii)               Provision of films

            Monday – Thursday             10:00 – 23:00

            Friday – Sunday                    10:00 – 02:00

 

(iii)             Live Music

            Monday to Thursday           10:00 – 23:00

            Friday – Saturday                 10:00 – 02:00

            Sunday                                   10:00 – 00:00

           

(iv)              Recorded Music

            Monday to Thursday           10:00 – 23:00

            Friday – Saturday                 10:00 – 02:00

            Sunday                                   10:00 – 00:00

 

(v)               Performance of Dance

            Monday to Thursday           10:00 – 23:00

            Friday – Saturday                 10:00 – 02:00

            Sunday                                   10:00 – 00:00

 

(vi)              Anything Similar

            Monday to Thursday           10:00 – 23:00

            Friday – Saturday                 10:00 – 02:00

            Sunday                         10:00 – 00:00

 

(vii)              The supply of alcohol (for consumption on the premises)

            Sunday – Thursday    10:00 – 00:00

            Friday – Saturday        10:00 – 02:00

(viii)          Late night refreshments

            Saturday                      23:00 – 02:00

            Sunday                         23:00 – 02:00

 

Members had regard to the conditions agreed between the Applicant and the Police, presented to us today and to those submitted by the Applicant as part of the Operating schedule.

Members decided to impose the following conditions to the grant of the licence:

1.                 The maximum total capacity of the premises, inclusive of staff and artists, shall be:

·             20,000 for year 2026

·             25,000 for year 2027

·             30,000 for year 2028

 

2.                 Only one premises licence may be used to authorise licensable activities at any one time. The premises licence holder must notify East Herts Police in writing at least four (4) months in advance of any event, specifying which premises licence will be in effect for the duration of that event.

 

3.                 This premise licence only authorises licensable activity to take place between the period of 1st May and 30th September each year.

 

4.                 The premise licence authorises licensable activities on a maximum of eight (8) days within any period of fourteen (14) consecutive days, commencing on the first day the licence is used in each calendar year.

 

5.                 East Herts Police Licensing and Licensing Authority shall be notified of the proposed event dates no later than six (6) months prior to the commencement of the events. Written confirmation of receipt from East Herts Police must be obtained and retained by the licence holder for inspection upon request.

6.                 An Event Management Plan (EMP), tailored specifically to the events, must be agreed with the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) three (3) calendar months prior to the commencement of the event. The licence holder must make the EMP available for inspection upon request by any authorised officer.

 

7.                 The EMP shall contain Appendices detailing in full the following matters:

·             A scaled site plan which shows all areas of the event mentioned in the EMP and particularly:

-              the location and size of all areas of the even to the site infrastructure.

-              the immediate surrounding area including ingress and egress for pedestrians, vehicles and crew.

-              emergency evacuation routes and access / egress routes for emergency services.

 

·             A policy for the inspection of the structures built on the site. This will include a maintenance and inspection programme with his methodology of testing. The Licence holder will consult with relevant persons with expertise e.g. a suitable building control body, or other similar organisation to agree the structural integrity of the bales.

·             An event risk assessment, covering all areas of risk and management of risks to ensure the health and safety of all those on site.

·             A crowd management plan including capacities and evacuation times from each area of the site to allow for safe and quick evacuation in the event of an emergency.

·             Emergency protocols and major incident plan covering the following types of emergencies:

-              fire

-              bomb threat

-              suspect packages

-              public disorder / disturbance

-              structural failure

-              hazardous substances

-              detained person

-              injury to a person

-              crime in progress.

 

·      The role of the Event Liaison Team ELT, coded messages, alert and procedures for each, partial evacuation procedure, full evacuation procedure, rendezvous points (RVP’s), emergency announcements, event stop procedures, crime scene management.

·      The extreme weather procedure and action plan covering all adverse weather conditions detailing the impact and actions to be taken in each possibility.

·      A waste management plan.

·      Medical provisions plan covering details of medical/first aid points.

·      Drugs and psychoactive substances policy. A zero-tolerance policy is to be adopted in relation to any quantity of drugs, any items found to result in ejection or refusal of entry.

·      Weapons policy. A zero-tolerance policy to be adopted in relation to any weapons found that are made, used or adapted to cause injury, any such items found to result in ejection or refusal of entry. Such items are to include knives where the blade is more than 3 inches in length.

·      Eviction policy and procedure including eviction notices, detailing circumstances under which a person will be evicted, the eviction process and onward travel from the festival of the evicted person.

·      Bar management and alcohol policy including staff management structure and responsibilities, bar staff and briefings for the event.

·      A Safeguarding policy and plan to cover both children and vulnerable adults, but especially those under 18's and those who lack capacity through intoxication and a lost child procedure.

·      A communications strategy covering local community engagement, transport options, complaints, arrival and dispersal from the event.

·      An organisational structure.

·      Entry policy and procedure including publicised conditions of entry, prohibited items, search policy on entry, entry refusal process. A prohibited items policy, which shall include:

-              glass utensils or drinking vessels of any kind.

-              weapons

-              illegal drugs, including psychoactive substances.

-              fireworks, sky lanterns or kites, CO2 canisters

-              flares

-              laser pens

-              alcohol over the allowed allowance of 16 cans / 8 litres of beer or cider, or 2.25 litres (one box) of wine per person. That on re-admittance of a person no alcohol to be brought onto the site by that person.

 

8.                 Any amendments to the agreed EMP must be submitted by the Premises Licence Holder to the Safety Advisory Group for approval 28 days before the 1^st event day.

 

9.                 The Traffic Management Plan (TMP) must be agreed with both:

·             East Herts Police via LicensingEastHertsarea@herts.police.uk, and

·             Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) via NM.East@hertfordshire.gov.uk

·             three (3) months prior to the schedule date of the events. Written confirmation of receipt from both East Herts Police and HCC must be obtained and retained by the licence holder for inspection upon request.

 

10.            The traffic management plan shall cover:

·             The management of the traffic on the roads surrounding the event.

·             Management of those attending and leaving the event as well as local. residential traffic.

·             Internal site signage for traffic.

·             Car park management and lighting.

·             Expected traffic levels throughout the event.

·             Control measures to be used.

·             Taxis and drop off facilities and operation of this facility.

 

11.            The approved Traffic Management Plan (TMP) must be fully implemented and adhered to throughout the events. Any amendments to the TMP during the event must be:

·             Pre-approved by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and/or East Herts Police, or

·             Made in response of an emergency where immediate action is required to prevent a breach of the licensing objectives.

·             In case of emergency amendments, the licence holder must notify HCC and East Herts Police as soon as reasonably practicable and record the nature and justification of the amendment for post event review.

 

12.            A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) must be applied for as soon as possible after submission of the agreed EMP and TMP. The TTRO must be:

·             Formally approved by HCC, and

·             Published in accordance with statutory requirements and implemented in full

No later than twenty-eight (28) calendar days prior to the commencement of the events. The event must not proceed unless all the above steps have been completed within the specified timeframe.

 

13.            A noise management plan (NMP) must be prepared and implemented for each event. The NMP must:

·             Be tailored to the specific event.

·             Have regard to any recommendations or requirements set by Environmental Health at East Herts Council.

·             Include details of noise control measures, monitoring locations and response procedures for complaints.

The licence holder must ensure that noise monitoring is carried out during the event and a post event noise monitoring report is submitted to Environmental Health no later than fourteen (14) calendar days following the close of the final event.

 

14.            A plan of all areas of the event and all documents referred to in the Event Management Plan shall be available for inspection during the event by officers of responsible authorities should they request access or ask to view the documents.

 

15.            The event will be managed in accordance with the EMP. During the operational phase any deviation from the EMP must be fully documented and rationale recorded at the time.

 

16.            A record of all drugs and psychoactive substances confiscated shall be maintained securely and provided to the police at the conclusion of the events.

 

17.            An on-site control hub will be accessible to the Police and responsible authorities if at any time it is notified as necessary by the responsible authorities.

 

18.            All public address systems shall be under the control of the premises license holder or their nominated representatives so that emergency broadcast message can override the musical entertainment and can be delivered clearly audibly to all parts of the site.

 

19.            No more than 20% of the available tickets shall be available for purchase at the entrance to the site on the day of the event.

 

20.            Entry numbers will be monitored and always recorded using attendance counting devices.

 

21.            The Premise License Holder shall publish a message on the event website containing the following information:

·             Terms and Conditions of entry, to include searching on entry and list of prohibited items.

·             Under 18's will need to be accompanied by an adult 21 years old or over

·             The Challenge 21 Policy, or similar

·             Quantity of alcohol permitted to be brought on to the site.

·             That no glass vessels and bottles allowed on site.

·             Disabled access and facilities information.

·             Medical facilities.

·             Local weather updates (required only in the 7 days prior to the event).

·             Travel Information.

·             Maps of the site and surrounding area.

·             Post code for Satellite Navigation Systems.

 

22.            There shall be an area within the licensable area dedicated to dealing with vulnerable children and adults this includes those who are vulnerable through drink and drugs. There shall always be on duty at this location a person nominated as in charge. Staff working in this area shall have access to a radio connecting with the event management.

 

23.            People under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by an adult 21 years old or over to gain entry. A maximum of 3 under 18's to be allowed in with each person 21 years or over. The adult (over 21) entering with any person under 18 years is to be informed of their responsibilities with regards to the person under 18 years.

 

24.            A team of SIA licensed Security Personnel and NVQ trained Safety Stewards are to be deployed throughout the event, this team must be trained, briefed and aware of both the need to identify any hazards which may present a safety risk to any persons and the correct reporting procedure to escalate any concerns for resolution.

 

25.            All stewards and Security Industry Authority staff shall wear high visibility jackets so that they are easily identifiable whilst on duty, except those working in a covert capacity. There shall be an established chain of command for all stewards and Security Industry Authority personnel who shall report directly upwards to their Supervisor who in turn will report directly to the Security Manager.

 

26.            Body Worn CCTV to be used throughout the licensed period, and at any time when members are on site, by the security team to deter crime and disorder and capture evidence of any persons involved in undesirable activities. At any one time, a minimum of 8 Body Worn Cameras will be deployed.

 

27.            No staff member, whilst working at the premises and/or in uniform at the premises, will be permitted to consume alcohol on site or be under the influence of alcohol at any time whilst working.

 

28.            Only 100% polycarbonate drinking vessels or drinks containers are to be provided to the public on site and no glass equivalents are to be permitted in areas open to the public.

 

29.            A refusal register and incident log shall be maintained and kept and made available to Responsible Authorities on request.

 

30.            A challenge 21 scheme, or similar, will be adopted and customers who appear be under 25 years of age will be required to prove their age when purchasing alcohol. Suitable forms of identification will be a passport, 'pass' card or other identification recognised by the licensing authority in its statement of licensing policy. Each bar to have visible signage that relates to challenge 21.

 

31.            Where Special Police Services (SPS) are required in connection with any event held under this premises licence, full payment must be made and cleared into the designated Hertfordshire Constabulary account no later than 7 days prior to the commencement of the event.

 

32.            The Premises Licence Holder shall take out Public Liability and Third-Party insurance to cover at least £5,000,000.00 (five million pounds) for any one occurrence. If requested by police, the Premises Licence Holder shall provide them with certified copies of the Policy and Certificates of Insurance, or other acceptable proof of cover, not later than 14 days prior to the start of the event.

 

Parties were informed that a signed decision notice will be sent to the parties within 5 working days. All Parties will have a right of appeal against this decision and details of how to appeal will be noted within the decision notice.
 

The Chair advised that all parties that, in line with Section 6, Paragraph 12.5 of the Council’s constitution, during deliberations the Hearing Panel had consulted with the Licensing Officer to seek advice on the format of the conditions imposed.

 

RESOLVED – that having reviewed the application and the written representations submitted, the Licensing Sub-Committee has determined to grant the application.