Agenda and minutes

(Director of Governance) To declare interests in any item on this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made pursuant to the Members Code of Conduct.

The Sub-Committee noted the agreed procedure for the conduct of business and the terms of reference.

To consider the attached report.  Background papers to follow.

The three Councillors that presided over this item were Councillors P Keska, S Neville and M Sartin.

The Chairman introduced the Members and Officers present and outlined the procedure that would be followed for the determination of the summary review. The Chairman welcomed the participants and requested that they introduce themselves to the Sub-Committee. In attendance on behalf of the applicant was P Jones (Essex Police Licensing Officer), R Hanstock (Counsel for Essex Police) and G Ashford (Licensing Manager for Essex Police). On behalf of the License premises were R Bhose (Counsel), S Panesar (Solicitor), N Wood,  M Younger, S Pembury (Sentra Solutions Ltd.), S Cummings and D King (the premises DPS) (Directors of KAC Entertainment Limited). Also in attendance was Councillor N Avey, Town Mayor of Epping Town Council.

The Chairman mentioned that he had been approached by a Town Councillor who had wished to speak at today’s hearing. However having taken advice from officers he had agreed that the request had come in after the consultation period and was therefore inadmissible.

(a)          The Application before the Sub-Committee

The Licensing Compliance Officer, D Houghton, explained that this hearing was to hear an application for a summary review brought by Essex Police for Club 195, Cottis Lane, Epping, CM16 4BL. This was made on 4^th January 2019 in accordance with Section 53B of the Licensing Act 2003. The Licensing Authority after reading Essex Police’s review application made the decision to implement the following interim step to take affect immediately: “To suspend the Premises Licence until the Review hearing as there was a danger of further serious crime and serious disorder.”

The application for the full review was advertised in accordance with the legislation inviting representations from Responsible Authorities and Interested Parties.

(b)          Presentation of the Applicant’s Case

Mr Hanstock, on behalf of the Police said that they had called this review because of crime and disorder matters arising from Club 195. They were asking revocation of the licence in this case as evidence justified these steps and was not to be taken lightly.

He outlined the incidents that took place on 1^st January 2019 in or around Club 195, when a man got stabbed on the dance floor inside the club; this incident was not covered by CCTV. The person who carried out this assault had entered illegally as the club had failed to secure that entrance. No staff had witnessed the incident. In the Companies submission, paragraphs 43 to 46 there was no acceptance of responsibility here, even after reflection. This was wilful blindness and reinforced the Police’s position.

Other later incidents had also occurred outside the premises that night, at 03.03hrs,  a male was being knocked unconscious, losing teeth and sustaining a punctured lip. Thirteen police officers attended and a GBH investigation was on-going. There was also large scale disorder happening at the same time out on the streets spilling out from Cottis Lane onto the High Street. This was at a time when no other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.