The sub-committee proposed and seconded a motion that Councillor Peter Hamblin as chairperson for the duration of the meeting of the meeting. The motion was put to the vote and was carried.

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 of a premises licence in respect of Mill Street Stores, 4-6 Mill Street, Hereford, HR1 2NY.

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 13 August 2026 and the supplement published on 21 August 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. Four public representations were received from members of the public; one representation was received from a member of the public that the Licensing Authority rejected as it did not address the licensing objectives. The history of licensing applications relating to the premises was outlined; the premises was first licensed in 2006. It was confirmed there was no history of complaints to the licensing authority relating to this premises.

The Sub-Committee heard from a local resident that:

·       The licensing process had been daunting for residents, particularly given the volume of information provided by the applicant’s representatives.

·       There were already two nearby convenience stores within approximately 500 yards of the premises which closed at 9.00pm.

·       The premises is located in a predominantly residential area and the owners do not live locally.

·       Whilst the police had not objected to the application, the resident had raised queries with them and asked them why they had not raised an objection to the application, the resident understood from discussions with the police that their assessment was based on historical evidence rather than potential future impacts.

·       The resident stated that historically the premises had closed at 4pm on a Sunday and 7pm during the rest of the week.

·       Concerns had been raised regarding noise and disturbance, particularly from customers arriving by car late in the evening.

·       The resident questioned the evidence supporting the applicant’s assertion that there was a demand in the night time economy from shift workers and other late-night customers for extended hours.

·       Reference was made to the residential character of Mill Street and the potential impact of alcohol sales until 2.00am.

·       The resident asked the Sub-Committee to refuse the variation sought.

Following questioning by the Sub-Committee, it was confirmed that:

·       The resident had generally supported the premises and considered it to provide a useful service to the community. It was noted that wine was currently for sale at the shop contrary to an intention to not serve alcohol over 6%.

·       The current permitted hours for the sale of alcohol were understood to be until 8.00pm.

·       The resident had observed customers arriving by car later in the day and was concerned that extending the hours could increase noise nuisance, particularly given the way sound carries in the area.

The Sub-Committee then heard from the applicant’s representative Bill Donne, that:

·       The application sought to extend the hours for off-sales of alcohol from the current terminal hour of 8.00pm to 2.00am.

·       The applicant was an experienced operator who operated another convenience store in Worcester and had acquired the premises subject to the application in December 2025 and wished to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

To consider an application for a grant of a premises licence in respect Lounge, Units 4-5 The Maltings Shopping Centre, Ross on Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7YB under the Licensing Act 2003.

The application had been withdrawn following the added conditions of the responsible authorities being agreed and in line with the submitted amended plans, that remove the outside licensable area on Broad Street.