Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:

That Councillor R McKeown be appointed as Chair of the Licensing Sub-Committee.

No interests were declared.

Applicant:  Mr Richard Ellison together with Ms P Miller

Objectors:  Mr Ian Ord (also read out a statement on behalf of Drs Wright), Mrs Christine Ord and Mr Alan Shackleton (also speaking on behalf of Mrs Shackleton)

For the Licensing Authority:  Mrs S Bradbury, Licensing Officer

Also present: 

N de Bruin - Senior Legal Officer

Introduction

The hearing was called to consider an application for variation of a premises licence at the Old Hall Hotel, Market Place, Hope, Hope Valley, S33 6RH under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003.

No interests were declared.

The Sub-Committee considered the written report, relevant legislation, s182 guidance and High Peak Statement of Licensing Policy as well as verbal submissions made at the meeting before coming to a decision.

Decision

That the application be granted in accordance with the application and subject to the additional conditions agreed by the applicant with Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards Department, Derbyshire Police and High Peak Borough Council Environmental Health department, all as set out in the report.

Reasons for the decision

The Sub-Committee noted that despite many of the objectors referencing noise emanating from the car park of the premises during beer festivals held from time to time that the application solely related to the premises which included only the building as shown at Appendix 2. Therefore all the licensable activities would be contained within the premises.

Some of the objectors had concerns about traffic and parking that were outside the scope of the Sub-Committee’s powers to consider.

Although the Council had sympathy with the objectors concerns about how the increase in hours and activities at the pub might impact the neighbours and village in terms of public nuisance, crime and disorder or public safety the Sub-Committee did not consider that there was sufficient or any cogent evidence that the licensing objectives would actually be undermined in the way that they feared. 

There has been no recorded complaints made regarding the premises in the past to the Licensing Authority.  There was no reason to think this would change.

The Sub-Committee supported the applicant’s desire to diversify the offering at the premises, including for later hours when required.  By many of the objectors own admission the premises play an important role in the community, and are well run.  The variation would assist the applicant economically by giving additional flexibility at a time when many public houses were struggling to cope with reduced demand, and which should be supported so far as possible in the context of it’s location.

It was noted that subject to additional conditions none of the responsible authorities  objected to the application that gave confidence that the grant of the application would not undermine the licensing objectives.

The conditions to be imposed on the licence could be enforced by law or form the basis of reason to call the licensee back for a review of their licence and gave a suitable level of control over the premises.

With the additional conditions the Sub-committee were therefore  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25/7