Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr N Pearce, with Cllr H Blathwayt present as a substitute.

To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

None

Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the following items on the agenda.  The Code of Conduct for Members requires that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.

None.

Present: Applicant & Applicants Legal representatives

The Chairman, Members of the Panel and Officers introduced themselves.

The LA-CM outlined the purpose of the hearing and explained the procedure for the meeting.

The SPPO introduced the Officers report, outlining that the Applicant sought to i) vary the layout of the premises in accordance with plans (drawing no 100 revision B), ii) add a condition to the premises licence regarding CCTV, iii) amend the opening hours for existing non-standard timings to provide 30 minutes drinking up time and iv) permit the provision of late night refreshment.

The SPPO stressed that any variation would be subject to mandatory conditions, and would need to accord with the promotion of the four licensing objectives.

It was noted that a consultation had been undertaken with representations included on page 14 of the report, and whilst there had been 22 initial complaints, following contact from the Applicants solicitors via NNDC on 9^th May, 11 complaints had been withdrawn. The SPPO advised that all objections had been received before suggested amendments had been put forward. The two representations made by the responsible authorities (the Parish Council and the Broads Authority) had been withdrawn in the course of proceedings.

The SPPO provided a summary of the eleven objector’s concerns which centred on concerns of parking arrangements, crime and disorder, the potential for more stag or hen parties, the need for additional cctv, light pollution, boater’s safety, noise disturbance and protecting children from harm.

The SPPO highlighted Appendix D, page 99 of the report, and provided context to the application site and its surrounding area.

The Applicant presented their case and detailed the history of the site, with its strong links to the river, outlined their operating schedule and confirmed the provisions they will have in place to promote the four licensing objectives.

The Applicant’s legal representative outlined that following consultation with local objectors and the relevant responsible authorities, they were minded to withdraw two out of the four proposed variations, namely the variations to i) permit the provision of Late Night Refreshment (indoors & outdoors) Mondays to Sundays 23:00 to 00:30 hours the following morning and ii) to amend the opening hours for existing non-standard timings to provide 30 minutes drinking up time. The Applicant’s representatives stressed that the purpose of the variation application was to improve the efficiency of the public house and to further aid the patron’s experience of public house.

There were no oral representations made from the Other Persons. However, the Panel noted all 11 written representations.

The Sub-Committee asked about the parking provision on site. The Applicant advised that parking was available for up to 16 spaces and staff were encouraged to park off site. Further, the business organised shift patterns to promote car sharing of its staff to minimise the number of staff vehicles.

The Chairman clarified if the Applicant was satisfied with the amendments put forward, noting that a change in operational hours may have financial implications. The Applicant affirmed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Present: Applicant, Venue Manager for the Application site, and 2 x objecting speakers

The Chairman, Members of the Panel and Officers introduced themselves.

The LA-TT outlined the purpose of the hearing and explained the procedure for the meeting.

The SPPO presented the Officers report outlining that the Applicant was seeking to be licenced in respect of various activities from Saturday to Sunday between the hours of 08:00 - 23:55. The SPPO advised that the Sub-Committee were asked to consider the promotion of the four licensing objectives, when making their determination.

The SPPO highlighted that the ‘conditions consistent with the operating schedule’ outlined at 3.2, on page 5 of his report being provisions (c) & (d), should be modified to refer to CCTV and CCTV tapes.

It was noted that there were no objections from responsible authorities, though there were suggested conditions submitted from Norfolk Constabulary (as set out in Section 5 of the report). The SPPO summarised the objections received which related to concerns of public nuisance, increased traffic, noise, the removal of trees which had provided a sound barrier, light pollution and issues according with planning conditions. Details of which were contained on pages 203 – 207 of the Officers report.

Cllr H Blathwayt asked if the application site was located in a designated dark skies area. The SPPO noted the working used by the one of the objectors, but advised he was uncertain of its designated status.

The Applicant presented his case and informed the Sub-Committee that the NNDC planning department had already placed several restrictions on the operation of the premises including no amplified music outside of the premises and the installation of a permanent sound system indoors which limits noise.

The Applicant made reference to acoustic reports undertaken by himself and neighbours, in respect of noise level impact, and stated that they have complied fully with the recommendations contained within and these reports account for the removed forestry adjacent to the site.  He advised that there were internal systems which limited noise and that this was managed by the Venue Manager who regularly checks the volume of amplified music and would act accordingly if this were an issue.

On the sale of alcohol on the premises, the Applicant stressed his staff’s strong level of experience in event management and weddings in particular. He also cited their existing compliance with conditions such as ‘Challenge 25’, DPS holders on site and CCTV systems around the premises.

The Applicant acknowledged previous issues with signage and traffic at the site but confirmed recent improvements to signs had a positive impact on the issue with guests and operators being more observant about signage.

The Sub-Committee asked the Applicant about parking and signage on the site. The Applicant advised the venue offered 50-60 parking spaces and that the business abided by the planning conditions placed on the venue. The venue operated a one way system with signage recently installed to help inform and educate guests and service users.

The ‘Other Persons’ present presented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

To pass the following resolution:

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”

None.