Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the last meeting held on 31^st January 2017 were signed as a correct record.

The Chair welcomed the sub-committee and attendees, he firstly stressed that the meeting was not to decide whether the event was to go ahead but to determine the application on licensing grounds. He confirmed that any wider issues would be dealt with elsewhere.

The Licensing Officer proceeded to introduce the report. He explained that Garden Events Limited had made an application for a new premises licence in respect of an event called Picnic in the Park which was to take place in Pittville Park, Cheltenham.

He confirmed that the application was for the period of 29^th August 2018 to 4^th September 2018 and the applicants intended to use the licence for their event on the weekend of Saturday 1^st September to Sunday 2^nd September 2018. He explained that the licensable activities were the sale and supply of alcohol and the performance of live music. He noted that the applicant had proposed a number of steps which they would take to promote the licensing objectives and these were highlighted at paragraph 2.4 of the report. The Licensing Officer explained that during the statutory consultation period as required for premises licences the council’s senior Environmental Health Officer and Gloucestershire Constabulary had agreed on several conditions with the applicant. He further advised that 18 representations had been made from other people, 17 of which were objections. All of the representations were outlined to the rear of the report at  Appendix E.

The Licensing Officer reminded the sub-committee that in determining an application they must seek to promote the 4 key licensing objectives as defined in the Licensing Act 2003, which are: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm. 

The Licensing Officer advised the sub-committee that they could either:

Grant the application as applied for; or

Grant the application subject to such conditions as the sub-committee considers appropriate for the promotion of the licensing objectives; or

Refuse all or part of the application.

Councillor Parsons was then invited to speak on behalf of the local residents who had made representations in opposition to the proposals. He noted the following:

·           The event was to take place on the first weekend after the August bank holiday and on the penultimate weekend of the school holidays at a time when you would expect the park to be extremely busy.

·           He noted that the Council had recently spent £5,000,000 refurbishing the children’s play area.

·           He stated that whilst drinking alcohol in the park is not prohibited,  it has special arrangements regarding alcohol as it is covered by a Public Spaces Protection Order, which suggests there is the potential for public nuisance from alcohol consumption.

·           He noted that one of the conditions applied by Gloucestershire Constabulary was to keep a log book of those who had been refused the sale of alcohol. He felt that this showed the police saw the potential for alcohol abuse.

·           He raised concerns over the fact that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.