Agenda and minutes

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

There were no declarations of interest pursuant to the Council’s Member Code of Conduct.

(Director of Governance) To note the Procedure for the Conduct of Business, as attached.

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

(Director of Neighbourhoods) To consider the attached report.

The three Councillors that presided over this item were Councillors R Morgan (Chairman), L Hughes and B Surtees. The Chairman welcomed the participants and requested that they introduce themselves to the Sub-Committee. In attendance on behalf of the application was Mr L Marns, the Applicant. There were no objectors in attendance. The Chairman then introduced the Members and Officers present, and outlined the procedure that would be followed for the determination of the application.

(a)        The Application before the Sub-Committee

The Licensing Enforcement Officer informed the Sub-Committee that an application to vary a Premises Licence had been received from Hunt Enterprises for Mooros Events based at Woolston Hall in Abridge Road, Chigwell, along with representations from interested parties. The application was requesting permission to extend the hours of the following licensable activities by one hour to permit:

(i)         Live Music from 7.00pm to 1.00am on Fridays and Saturdays;

(ii)        Recorded Music on Thursdays and Sundays from 7.00pm to 12.00am;

(iii)       Recorded Music on Fridays and Saturdays from 7.00pm to 1.00am; and

(iv)       the Supply of Alcohol on all days from 11.00am to 1.00am.

The Licensing Enforcement Officer reported that the responsible authorities had received a copy of the application, and a representation had been made by the Council’s Environment & Neighbourhoods Manager. Following discussions with the Applicant, and their agreement to accept two further conditions on their Premises Licence, this representation had been withdrawn. Two representations had also been received from residents of the nearby Woolston Manor apartments; these related to the prevention of crime and disorder, and the prevention of public nuisance. Essex Police had offered no objections nor any further conditions to be added to the existing Premises Licence.

(b)        Presentation of the Applicant’s Case

Mr Marns informed the Sub-Committee that Mooros Events ran private hire events at Woolston Hall, such as weddings, birthday parties, Christenings, School Proms and Office Christmas parties. The venue was not a Nightclub establishment, and nor was it open to the general public. The premises were currently licensed to serve alcohol until 12.00am with a 12.30pm closing time; Mooros Events wished to extend this by an hour with sale of alcohol until 1.00pm with a 1.30pm closing time.

Mr Marns stated that there had only ever been one incident at the premises since Mooros Events had taken over, and no fights had taken place. In fact, Mr Marns contended that there were considerably more incidents at the nearby Top Golf establishment than there was from events held at Woolston Hall.

Mr Marns stated that a meeting had taken place with Essex Police and a Noise Limiter had been installed on the advice of the Crime and Disorder Team.

(c)        Questions for the Applicant from the Sub-Committee

In response to questions from the Sub-Committee, Mr Marns stated that:

·        there were 16 flats opposite the Premises, but only one resident ever complained;

·        the noise levels from the music at the Premises was very faint at the flats and Mr Marns regularly walked over to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 requires that the permission of the Chairman be obtained, after prior notice to the Chief Executive, before urgent business not specified in the agenda (including a supplementary agenda of which the statutory period of notice has been given) may be transacted.

Resolved:

(1)        That, as agreed by the Chairman and in accordance with Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, the following item of urgent business be considered following the publication of the agenda:

            (a)        Temporary Event Notice – The Sun Inn, Common Road, Nazeing.

(Director of Neighbourhoods) To consider the attached report.

The three Councillors that presided over this item were Councillors R Morgan (Chairman), D Dorrell, and B Surtees. The Chairman welcomed the participants and requested that they introduce themselves to the Sub-Committee. In attendance on behalf of the application was Mr P Gould, the Designated Premises Supervisor for the Sun Inn. In attendance on behalf of the Council’s Environment & Neighbourhoods Manager was Mr M Richardson. There were no objectors in attendance. The Chairman then introduced the Members and Officers present and outlined the procedure that would be followed for the determination of the application.

(a)        The Application before the Sub-Committee

The Licensing Manager informed the Sub-Committee that an application for a Temporary Event Notice at the Sun Inn on Common Road, Nazeing had been received for the sale of alcohol, the provision of regulated entertainment and the provision of late night refreshment from 12.00pm to 11.30pm on 2 September 2017 in the garden area of the premises. The patio area of the Premises were licensed but the garden area of the premises currently fell outside the licensed area at the premises. Essex Police and the responsible authority for Environmental Health had been consulted, and an objection had been received from the Council’s Environment & Neighbourhoods Manager (the responsible authority for Environmental Health). This objection had stated that the proposed event was likely to require a volume of music that would be audible at neighbouring noise sensitive premises and potentially cause a public disturbance.

(b)        Presentation of the Applicant’s Case

Mr Gould stated that the application had been made to licence the garden area/field behind the premises to play live music for a Soul/Motown music festival on 2 September 2017. There would be five bands who would play throughout the day and the expected attendance was at least 300 people. The Applicant had been previously unaware of any objections but acknowledged that a local resident had made representation to the Environment & Neighbourhoods team of the Council. The Applicant had held meetings with the Environment & Neighbourhoods Manager, and sound monitors had been installed. The music was currently scheduled to finish at 10.00pm, but the Applicant was happy to finish the playing of live music at 9.00pm.

(c)        Questions for the Applicant from the Sub-Committee

In response to questions from the Sub-Committee, Mr Gould explained that he ran six different public houses, each of which had a manager to run the premises. The Sun Inn was one of these establishments and he was the Designated Premises Supervisor. It had been the Manager of the Sun Inn, Mr R Burgess, who had made the original application.

Mr Gould stated that there would not be continuous music from 12.00pm until 11.30pm; there would be band changes and the music was scheduled to run from 2.00pm to 9.00pm on the day. Two previous similar events had been held at the Premises and the attendance had been between 300 and 400 people. Mr Gould had mistakenly thought that the field where the event was due to take place  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

Exclusion:

To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Background Papers: 

Article 17 - Access to Information, Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

The Council will make available for public inspection for four years after the date of the meeting one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers.

The Sub-Committee noted that there was no business which necessitated the exclusion of the public and press.