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.

To consider a new premises licence application for 129-131 High Street, Strood, Kent ME2 4TJ following the submission of representation during the consultation period.

Discussion:

The Chairperson asked those present to introduce themselves.

The Licensing Manager informed the Panel that the applicant had applied for a new Premises Licence at 129-131 High Street, Strood, Kent, ME2 4TJ which was located within the Strood stress area. All responsible authorities had been consulted in line with the Licensing Act 2003, and a representation had been received from the City of Rochester Society (‘the Society’) relating to two of the licensing objectives (the prevention of crime and disorder and the prevention of public nuisance).

The Panel were informed that the applicant had already agreed additional conditions with Medway Trading Standards and Kent Police. The ward councillors for Strood North and Frindsbury had also submitted a representation, but this had been withdrawn following mediation and an amendment to the hours applied for as set out in appendix G.

For clarity the Licensing Manager explained that the amended proposed hours were set out in the report and conditions were set out in appendix H. The Panel were informed that the applicant and their representative originally planned to attend the hearing, but they were no longer available to attend and were happy for the hearing to take place in their absence.

The Chairperson invited the objector to speak in support of their objections.

Chris Webb explained that the objection had been made on behalf of the City of Rochester Society which covers Strood and a number of the society’s members live in Strood. Whilst it was acknowledged that agreements had been reached with Trading Standards and Kent Police, the Society still had some concerns and would have liked the opportunity to ask the applicant questions.

The Panel were informed that the Society were concerned that the terminal hour of 01:00 created potential for related increased crime and disorder and anti-social behaviour in the Strood stress area.

Chris Webb expressed disappointment at the applicant’s failure to attend as it did not allow for outstanding concerns to be addressed. The Society would have liked to query how the premises would operate on a day to day basis and whether the purpose of the premises was to operate as a nightclub.

The Society were concerned about the dispersal policy and how this would be managed in the early hours of the morning. Due to the concerns for a potential increase in crime and disorder and public nuisance the Society requested that if granted the terminal hour for all licensable activities should be 23:30.

The Panel asked Chris Webb if they were still concerned about dispersal and congestion after they had agreed conditions with the applicant. Chris Webb explained that he was surprised that Kent Police had agreed to a terminal hour of 01:00 given the location of the premises. The Panel were also informed of concerns with the migration of people from Rochester across the bridge into Strood High Street when leaving licensed premises.

The Panel queried why a terminal hour of 23:30 had been requested and were informed that the Society tried  ...  view the full minutes text for item 846.

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.