To receive apologies for absence.

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

There were no substitutes present at the meeting.

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

To consider an application for a grant of a premise licence in respect of Grange Court, Pinsley Road, Leominster, HR6 8NL.

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

Prior to making their decision, the members heard from the principal licensing officer.

The committee then heard from the applicant which highlighted the following:

·         The premises was a community enterprise hub and served the community. 

·         The LARC Development Trust (“the Trust) needed to raise income to maintain the building and wanted to put on more events to raise income. 

·         Some of the previous events would have benefitted from the provision of alcohol to increase the socialability of the event and this would have contributed to the income of the premises.  

·         Being granted a premises licence would also mean that a wider range of events could take place.   Currently the premises cater for weddings and people bring their own alcohol.  Having a premises licence would benefit the wedding package offer and would mean that the Trust would be able to control the drinking and it would not be at the whim of the organiser of the event. 

·         It had been part of the business plan since 2011 to have a premises licence and it had taken time to put all the right elements in place, in particular the designated premises supervisor.   The security policies were already in place.

·         A premises licence was expected to improve the offer to customers in using and hiring Grange Court. 

At the request of the sub-committee, the principal licensing officer explained the agreed representations with trading standards, environmental protection and West Mercia Police.

Following queries from the sub-committee, the applicant confirmed the following:

·      There were appropriate security policies in place to deal with any alcohol related issues.  

·      The licence was primarily to be able to sell alcohol as the premises had had dancing events and had shown films but as insufficient numbers attended a licence was not required for these events. 

·      Licensable activities had been held previously at the premises with no complaints. 

DECISION

The decision of the licensing sub committee was to grant the licence.  The premises licence to cover the interior of the building and the walled garden. 

REASONS

The sub-committee had taken into account the representations agreed with environmental protection, trading standards and West Mercia Police.   The sub-committee also had taken into account the written public representations and the fact that the premises were in the Herefordshire Council – Public Spaces Protection Orders – Alcohol Control Order area.    As the car park areas were not in an enclosed area and in order to promote the licensing objectives, in the particular the prevention of crime and disorder, the sub-committee had decided that the non-enclosed area in front the premises and to the side should be excluded from the premises licence as these were directly adjacent to an area of open ground and were insecure which was  observed at the site visit which had taken place on 14 October 2019.