Agenda and minutes

The Panel is requested to elect a Chairperson for the hearing in line with rules agreed by the Licensing and Safety Committee. 

Councillor McDonald was elected Chairperson for this meeting.

There were none.

To agree that the Chairperson, after consultation with the other members of the Panel, sign the record of this meeting outside the meeting. 

It was agreed that the Chairperson, after consultation with the other members of the Panel, would sign the record of this meeting outside the meeting. 

The Chairperson will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report. 

There were none. 

Members are invited to disclose any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests in accordance with the Member Code of Conduct. Guidance on this is set out in agenda item 5.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

There were none.

Councillor Howcroft-Scott left the meeting at this point as she was not needed as the fourth Member.

To consider a new Premises Licence application for Gepeto’s 42 High Street Chatham ME4 4DS, following the submission of representations, received during the consultation period.

Discussion:

The Chairperson asked those present to introduce themselves.

The Licensing Officer informed the Panel that the applicant had applied for a new Premises Licence at Gepeto’s, 42 High Street, Chatham. All responsible authorities had been consulted in line with the Licensing Act 2003, and representations had been received from Kent Police, Public Health and a member of the public.

The application was for the sale by retail of alcohol (off sales) daily from 09:00 to 23:00.

The applicant and Kent Police had submitted further information which was set out in the supplementary agendas.

The Chairperson invited the applicants to speak in support of their application.

The applicants explained that they would like to address the representations submitted and explain why granting the Premises Licence would not undermine the licensing objectives.

The Panel were informed that the premises would be a small community focused Romanian and Eastern European convenience store requesting a licence to compliment the provision of groceries. With regards to the prevention of crime and disorder, the store proposed robust refusal of sales when required, use of Challenge 25, staff training, use of an incident log and a fully compliant CCTV system.

The applicants explained that all alcohol would be securely stored behind the counter and would not include cheap alcohol.  The intention was to provide familiar imported products from home for the Romanian community, and the price point would be higher as a result. The premises aimed to serve and underserved community and contribute to the regeneration of the local area.

With regards to public safety, the Panel were informed that the premises had been designed to allow the safe movement of customers and to maximise visibility.

The Panel were informed that steps had been taken to mitigate public nuisance however retailers should not be penalised for the absence of litter bins or public toilets in the vicinity.

With regards to the protection of children, this would be addressed by comprehensive training on safeguarding and refusal of service, no adverts aimed at minors, the use of CCTV and Challenge 25.

As the objectors, Barbara Murray and Chris Webb then questioned the applicant.

In response to a query about the types of alcohol that would be sold, the applicants explained that it would mainly be imported, speciality alcohol for cultural celebrations and home deliveries including beers, wine and spirits. The target customer would be Eastern Europeans who want particular brands of products from home and the premises does not intend to stock cheap alcohol. The applicants explained that all alcohol would be securely stored behind a locked counter and would only constitute around 5% of the stock in the shop.

The issue of customers purchasing alcohol and drinking it in the street was raised. The applicants explained that it would be difficult to guarantee that this would not happen, but the premises would not support that, and street drinkers were not the target customer.

Mr Webb queried how the premises would deal with intoxicated customers. The applicants  ...  view the full minutes text for item 696.

It is recommended that the Panel exclude the press and public from the meeting during the decision-making process for the reasons set out in the report. 

Decision:

The press and public were excluded from the meeting during the Panel’s deliberations and decision making in respect of agenda item 6 because consideration of this matter in public would disclosure information falling within paragraph  5 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as specified in agenda item 7 (Exclusion of the Press and Public) and, in all the circumstances of the case, the Panel considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.