Agenda item

The applicant has applied for a new Premises Licence in respect of The Hop and Rye, 1 Hollywood Lane, Wainscott, Rochester, Kent, ME3 8AG. All responsible authorities have been consulted in line with the Licensing Act.

Representations have been received from members of the public. Agreement has been reached with the Police.

Discussion:

The Chairman advised that the process the hearing would follow was set out on page 3 of the agenda pack.

The Licensing Officer stated that an application for a new premises licence in respect of The Hop and Rye, 1 Hollywood Lane, Wainscott, Rochester, Kent, ME3 8EG had been received to include recorded and live music and the sale of alcohol, Monday to Sunday 12:00 – 22:00 hours.

Agreement had been reached with Kent Police through the addition of conditions to the operating schedule as set out in Appendix E to the report.

Planning permission had been granted for Monday to Sunday 7:00 to 22:00 hours.

The matter had been put to the Licensing Hearing Panel as the Council had received relevant representations from members of the public relating to the following licensing objectives:

• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance

The following documents were included in the agenda pack:

Appendix A pages 11 to 23 – Application for new premises licence

Appendix B page 25 – Amendment to the operating schedule

Appendix C page 27 – Location plan

Appendix D pages 29 to 33 – Representations

Appendix E pages 35 to 36 - Agreement with Kent Police

The Chairman invited the applicant to present the application for a new premises licence. Mr Strudwick highlighted his intention to create a family friendly venue which would not offer cheap larger or discounted drinks. He also intended to remove the pool table and the back room previously frequented by customers. In this way he believed that the customers who had used the venue when it was under previous ownership would be discouraged from returning.

The Chairman invited the objectors to question the applicant. In response to questions about the parking arrangements, he informed the hearing that he had reached an agreement with the freeholder of the Co-op building for an unlimited number of parking spaces to be made available to customers of the Hop and Rye for 90 minutes. He anticipated that regular customers would be local people who would be encouraged to walk to the venue. He stressed his desire for the Hop and Rye to be part of the local community and was committed to working with his neighbours on issues that may arise.

Asked about the level of noise from the venue, Mr Strudwick said that he had spoken with the Council’s Environmental Protection Team. He had included recorded and live music on his application for completeness but only planned to run events in keeping with the venue he wished to create, such as Morris dancing and folk music. He maintained that, by encouraging a different customer base and discouraging anti-social behaviour, noise levels and the incidence of swearing in the garden would be reduced. 

In response to questions from members of the Panel, Mr Strudwick confirmed that he wished to create a venue where customers could sit and have a conversation similar to his other venue, the Kings Arms in Upnor which had received multiple awards. He said that he would split his time between the two venues but as a new venture he would initially spend sufficient time at the Hop and Rye to shape the venue into what he wanted it to be. He intended to increase staffing levels and for staff to work at both venues. All new employees would take the appropriate licensing course, and some would apply for a personal licence.

The Chairman invited the objectors to present their objections but none wished to speak. Two of the objectors indicated that they were happy with the application following Mr Strudwick’s comments at the hearing.

Decision:

The Panel considered all the written evidence before it and had listened carefully to all the oral evidence presented by the applicant and the members of the public who had objected to the application, and unanimously decided to grant a premises licence for The Hop and Rye, 1 Hollywood Lane, Wainscott, Rochester, Kent, ME3 8EG, as applied for and subsequently amended following discussions between the applicant and Kent Police and Environmental Protection.