Agenda and draft minutes

The Licensing Panel considered the appointment of a Chairman for the meeting.

Resolved:

That Councillor Hunter be appointed Chairman for the meeting.

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:-

(1) the type of interest concerned

(2) the nature of the interest concerned; and

(3) whether they have or have not sat on a Planning Committee which has previously considered a planning application in respect of a licensed premises which is also subject to consideration for a premises licence as part of the agenda for this meeting.

If any Member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

The Chairman of the Panel will summarise the procedure and announce the equal maximum amount of time for each party to speak for the hearing.

A.         Items 1 and 4 (b) will be undertaken in private session by the Panel and not in the Meeting Room.

B.         Items 2, 3 and 4(a) will be recommended to the Panel to be held in public.

C.         The Panel may decide to exclude the public from all or part of a hearing where it considers that the public interest in so doing outweighs the public interest in the hearing, or that part of the hearing, taking place in public. (This includes a party and any person assisting or representing a party)

The Chairman explained the procedure for the meeting including that an equal time limit of twenty minutes had been allocated for all parties.

To consider an application for a new Premises Licence for Arthur’s Daily, 306 Highfield Road, Blackpool, FY4 3JX

A.      Application and representations submitted. To consider the attached report.

B.      Determination of the application for a Premises Licence – Arthur’s Daily.

The Licensing Panel will indicate how the decision is to be communicated to interested parties.

The Licensing Panel considered an application for a new Premises Licence in respect of Arthur’s Daily, 306 Highfield Road. The application requested permission for the sale of alcohol between 0700 and 2300 Sunday to Thursday and 0700 to 2330 Friday and Saturdays.

Mr Luke Stubberfield, Director of the Applicant and Proposed Designated Supervisor was in attendance and spoke in support of the application. Mr Stubberfield explained that the shop would be a convenience store with the sale of alcohol part of a range of goods. The business would be operated by Mr Stubberfield and members of his immediate family many of whom were experienced in such an environment. Mr Stubberfield further explained that he had been a local resident for many years and so was aware of the environment of the locality.

The Public Objector Mrs JeyanthiniSutha was in attendance accompanied by her representative Mr Mark Marshall of M Squared Services Ltd. Mr Marshall on behalf of Mrs Sutha explained the problems which had been experienced for many years in the area particularly with anti-social behaviour linked to the nearby High School. Mr Marshall expressed Mrs Sutha’s concerns that another convenience store nearby would undermine the Licensing Objectives particularly the Protection of Children from Harm. Mr Marshall expressed concerns at the shop layout and outlined his opinion that this reinforced his view of the applicant’s inexperience.

The Licensing Panel considered the evidence submitted by both parties. On balance it was not persuaded by the objections submitted as these were not supported by the Police or other responsible authorities. It noted that the Premises were not within the Cumulative Impact Zone and no other representations had been received.
Its view was that while the locality might prove challenging for a new operator equally Mr Stubberfield was both aware of the area and his responsibilities under the Licensing Act. It therefore concluded that the licence should be granted. The Licensing Panel did recommend that the shop layout be revised to maximise the supervision of alcohol. In particular it recommended that the slushy machine be moved so that counter staff could more easily supervise the premises.

Resolved:

That the Premises Licence in respect of Arthur’s Daily be granted as applied for.