Agenda and minutes

Councillor Collins was elected as Chair of the meeting.

Members highlighted that they knew Jon Walklett, who was speaking on behalf of the objector, as he was an ex Councillor.

2 Members also confirmed that they had visited the site.

Report of the Licensing Team Leader

The Licensing Team Leader introduced the report, he explained that an application had been received for a premises licence from The Alchemist Bar & Restaurant Limited in respect of Unit 8, The Brewery Quarter. A copy of the application was included at Appendix A.

The applicant had applied for a premises licence for licensable activities on the days and times outlined at section 1.2 of the report.  He highlighted that the proposed operating schedule and company policies had also been sent to Members.

He confirmed that no representations had been received from responsible authorities. However,  one representation had been received from an interested party and this was included at Appendix B of the report. 

The Licensing Team Leader reminded Members that any decision made in relation to the application would not set a precedent, as suggested by the objector, as the authority is obligated to determine each application on its merits. Similarly, as per the authority’s policy on “Core Hours for Licensable Activities” as outlined at paragraph 5.5 of this report, the application complies with a terminal hour of no later than 03:00 for bars in the town centre.

He reminded Members that they must have regard to all of the representations made and the evidence heard in order to promote the licensing objectives. In determining the application they had the option to: 

·         Grant the application as requested;

·         Modify the conditions attached to the licence; or

·         Reject all or part of the application.

The Licensing Team Leader offered the following responses to Members questions:

·         The additional information regarding the company policies and proposed operating schedule had been received on 5^th November and the general rule was that documents are accepted if provided within 48 hours of the meeting. 

·         He confirmed that the current premises within the Brewery were licenced to trade until the following times:

o  Holywood Bowl – 03:30;

o  Mr Mulligans Golf – 02:30;

o  The Botanist – 02:30;

o  Cosy Club - 01:30; and

o  The food establishments closed around 12:00 – 01:00.

Mr Walklett speaking on behalf of the objector made the following points:

·         He thanked the committee for giving him the opportunity to raise the concerns of the original objector.

·         He confirmed that he was the Chair of St Pauls Residents Association and also lived in close proximity to the Brewery.

·         He explained that 5/6 years ago the Association had sought to address concerns about the increasing student population living and attending university  around the campus in St Pauls. Concerns had been raised about the safety of students coming back in the early hours of the morning, particularly during the first term and the disturbance to nearby residents.  There had been reports of low level anti-social behaviour, concerning litter and noise disturbances. He explained that St Pauls Residents Association had met with the  university liaison committee and made a suggestion to collectively drive groups of students through the Brewery Quarter, both to mitigate safety concerns and reduce disturbance to neighbours. The representation was therefore  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.