Agenda and draft minutes

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

Councillor Peake was elected Chairperson for the meeting on 1 September 2026 and Councillor McDonald was elected Chairperson for the meeting on 29 September 2026.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor McDonald for the meeting on 1 September 2026.

There were no aplogies for the meeting on 29 September 2026.

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.

To consider a new premises application for Medway Superstore, 75 Richmond Road, Gillingham, Kent following the submission of a representation, received during the consultation period.

1 September 2026

Due to the applicant being unavailable, the Panel adjourned the hearing to Tuesday 29 September 2026.

29 September 2026

Discussion:

The Licensing Officer informed the Panel that the applicant had applied for a new Premises Licence at Medway Superstore, 75 Richmond Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1LS. All responsible authorities had been consulted in line with the Licensing Act 2003, and a representation had been received from a member of the public and no representations had been received from the responsible authorities. The member of public could not attend but would like the evidence considered in his absence. Communications between the applicant and the member of public were included in the appendices.

The new premises licence application was for the sale by retail of alcohol (off sales) Monday to Sunday 06:00 to 23:00.

The Chairperson invited the applicant and representativesto speak in support of their application.

The representative for the applicant informed the Panel that the Applicant was an experienced Personal Licence Holder and both him and his brother Mehmet responsibly operated other premises in the local area.

The Panel were informed that the new application was due to the relocation of an existing shop as the existing premises were being developed into flats. The representative explained that once the move to the new premises takes place the applicant will surrender the existing licence and therefore the new premises will not have any cumulative impact.

The Panel were informed that standards conditions were proposed including CCTV, training of staff and Challenge 25. An additional condition was proposed at Appendix E regarding unaccompanied school children and the representative explained that the application would not undermine the licensing objectives if granted.

The representative drew the Panels attention to the absence of any representations from the Responsible Authorities from which it could be inferred that there were no causes for concern. With regards to the concerns raised by the member of the public, litter in the area could not be attributed to the premises as they were not open yet and the applicant was committed to regularly cleaning the area near the premises.

The Panel were informed that the applicant was experienced in operating premises in the area, was invested in and supported the local community and employed local people.

The Chairperson noted the written objections that had been included at Appendices C and F to the report and that the objector was not in attendance.

The Panel queried the hours requested for the sale of alcohol and why the start time was 06:00.

The applicant and representative explained that the proposed hours of 06:00 to 23:00 allowed the licensable hours to align with opening times and allowed the premises to provide a full offer of goods and alcohol, although early sales did not happen very often. The Panel were informed that the applicant knew their customer base well and the sale of alcohol in the morning would be as an ancillary product which help sales add up.

If minded  ...  view the full minutes text for item 332.

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.