Agenda and draft minutes

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

Resolved:

That Councillor Hutton 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.

(Members are asked to also pay particular attention to the guidance sheet on interests supplied with the agenda).

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 public.

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, the order in which the applicant and objectors would be heard and that the decision of the Panel would be communicated to all parties within 5 working days.

To consider an application in respect of a new Premises Licence in respect of 253 Fleetwood Road, Blackpool, FY5 1NJ

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

B. Determination of the application for a new Premises Licence – 253 Fleetwood Road

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

The Licensing Panel considered an application from Mr Salvatore Fodera for a new premises licence in respect of 253 Fleetwood Road, Blackpool, FY5 1NJ. Representations had been received from two Councillors who represented the Norbreck Ward, Councillor Maxine Callow and Councillor Julie Sloman.

Mr Fodera appeared before the Panel and explained that his application was to create an online Italian supermarket where customers would order online and then he would deliver the orders. His intention was to deliver the orders himself, but if the business became successful, he may need to employ staff to pack and deliver the orders. This business would operate from a residential address and customers would not attend the property in person.

Mr Fodera advised the Panel that the alcohol would be stored in an extension that he would be making at the rear of the property. He explained that he was unclear as to how the extension would be constructed but assured the Panel that it would be secured and would meet the requirements of the responsible authority.

Answering questions, Mr Fodera confirmed that he would not be selling alcohol by the case, but there would be a minimum order value. He agreed that CCTV would be a useful security measure but did concede that he had not given any thought as to how he would ensure the safety of staff making deliveries, especially if they had to refuse to deliver the order because the recipient appeared to be drunk or under-age. Following extensive questioning about how he would deal with orders placed at the last minute, the Panel established that he did not intend to offer same day deliveries. However the Panel felt that Mr Fodera had not offered any conditions to his application to resolve any of the concerns that had been discussed.

Councillor Maxine Callow and Councillor Julie Sloman addressed the Panel.

Councillor Mrs Callow explained that the area was primarily residential and if this business was successful then deliveries could be dispatched from the property at a range of times, impacting on local residents. Councilor Mrs Callow further commented that the operating schedule did not address the concerns of the impact upon local residents.

Councillor Sloman asked the Panel to accept that the application was premature and that the Panel should expect outline plans for the construction of the alcohol storage facility and the security measures that should be installed.

The Panel considered the application and representations in relation to the licensing objectives and concluded that the application was premature. Although the Panel understood a reluctance to invest money in storage facility before a licence was granted, it would expect to see reasonably detailed plans for its construction and the security measures that would be installed to reduce the prospect of theft, as far as is reasonably possible. It was not the role of the Panel to prescribe how he should build his extension. The Panel also felt that the plans for the online shop required further development along with how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.