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 interest in respect of items on the agenda.

To consider an application for a variation for a premises licence in respect of Allpay Limited, Fortis es Fides, Whitestone Business Park, Whitestone, Hereford, HR1 3SE.

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 published on 24 March 2026.

Prior to making its decision the senior licensing officer presented the report which outlined the options available to the Sub-Committee. No representations were received from the responsible authorities. Three public representations were received from members of the public and one from the Parish Council. The representations were considered to be borderline but were accepted as relevant by the licensing authority. One public representation has been withdrawn following the publication of the agenda. The history of licensing applications relating to the premises was outlined; the premises was first licensed in 2001. It was confirmed there was no history of complaints

The Sub-Committee heard from local resident Jonathan Beech that:

·       He was very concerned about loud noise affecting neighbours and local residents.

·       There was a nursing home locally that would be affected by noise from the site.

·       Local residents who worked nighttime hours locally would be adversely affected by an 8 a.m. start.

·       An 8 a.m. start was considered unacceptable.

The Sub-Committee then heard from the applicant’s representative Mr Neil Styles that:

·       The live music act allowed for live or recorded music from 8 a.m.; the current application would ensure the permission for regulated entertainment would also be contained in the premises licence.

·       The application would allow for the café and shop to open earlier in the day to catch extra morning trade.

·       The outdoor areas were not being increased in size but the boundary defined in the application helped to clarify what constituted the outdoor area.

·       All alcohol sales will be from an internal bar and drinks taken outside would be within the licensable area therefore representations relating to this element were irrelevant.

·       There was no difference in the change of use for the site, that would be a planning matter, just a change to the hours of operation.

·       There was no likelihood of anti-social behaviour ASB or nuisance caused. The licence holder did not want to cause any issues for the local area or neighbours.

·       There had been no issues with the premises and therefore there had been no representations  from the responsible authorities.

The Sub-Committee then heard from the representative of the premises licence holder (Allpay Ltd) Mr Tyrell that:

·       There was a café, restaurant and shop on the site which was located on an industrial park.

·       The application sought to move the opening time forward to ensure shop could operate and sell alcohol from 8 a.m. to take advantage of extra trade.

·       There was one neighbour to the outdoor space who had withdrawn his representation once a meeting with the applicant and a site visit had been undertaken.

·       The premises was a respectful business and would not expect any anti-social behaviour. There was security, with Security Industry Authority accreditation, on site at all opening times and there had been no issues in the past.

Following questioning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.