To receive apologies for absence.

To receive any details of Members nominated to attend the meeting in place of a Member of the committee.

To receive any declarations of interest by Members in respect of items on the agenda.

Cllr DW Greenow stated that the applicant was an acquaintance but there was no close personal association.

There were no declarations of interest made.

To consider an application for a new premises licence in of ‘House Meadow, Whitehall Farm, Whitehall Road, Hampton Bishop, Hereford, HR1 4LB.

Members of the licensing sub committee of the council’s planning and regulatory committee considered the above application, full details of which appeared before the Members in their agenda and the background papers.

Prior to starting the discussion, the committee agreed that each person who had submitted a notice of intention to speak would be allowed 5 minutes each. 

Mr Fred Spriggs, licensing officer, gave a summary of the application which was set out in the committee’s papers.   

The committee then heard from Colin Campbell, George Kerr, Diane Sudlow, David Sudlow, Margaret Waddington Val Watson, Susan Marr, Simon Marr, Councillor Mark Franklin (Hampton Bishop Parish Council), Jill Phillips, John Westoby, Michelle Nugent, Kevin James who all had made public representations.   A summary of the concerns raised are:  

·                Details of an event held on 4 August 2018 where the applicants had let the premises and were absent at the time.   As part of this event, it was stated by several speakers that loud amplified music and tannoy announcements could be heard clearly from 15:00 hrs to 00:00 hrs which disturbed the residents.  One resident described it as a mini-Glastonbury

·                A licence for 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, would blight the lives of the residents of Hampton Bishop which was a small, quiet, rural village

·                The village was within a conservation area.

·                Any noise would carry as the village was within a flood plain area. 

·                Any noise nuisance would adversely affect young children and the elderly.   It was noted that there was a residents’ care home in close vicinity to the premises. 

·                That the use of fireworks or Chinese lanterns could potentially damage several thatched cottages were which in the village.

·                Road accessibility was dangerous (although it was noted that road traffic management were outside of the remit of the licensing sub committee).

·                The applicants had indicated that they would only be holding a limited number of events throughout the year so why was a licence being requested for 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. A second event had been held at the premises and noise complaints had been made to Herefordshire Council environmental health who had monitored the sound levels. 

·                There would be community impact on the village as there had been a total of 63 representations made but 30 had been ruled irrelevant.

·                There was a public safety issue as there were no footpaths or lighting in the village which would mean that guests could be wandering on a main road in the dark. 

The committee then heard from Johnny Walker (applicant’s agent), Alison Rogers (Director of Claypitt Ltd) and Martha Summerfield (designated premises supervisor) as follows:

·                The events on the premises would be intimate / discreet with an interlinked tepee and not rave or festival style events.   

·                The hirers would be vetted for suitability to ensure that their events fit with the ambience of the premises.

·                Some hirers had been rejected as their events were not suitable so it was a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.