Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the Sub-Committee.

There were none.

It was brought to the attention of the Sub-Committee that this was a new application, not a review.

The Licensing Team Leader outlined the circumstances as set out in the report. The Committee were informed that an application for a new premises licence was received on 8^th June 2017 that requested the sale of alcohol between 10:00 - 21:00 Monday – Sunday. It was noted that obligatory notices had been displayed both on the premises and the local newspaper. Numerous conditions were agreed between the applicant and the Police Licensing Officer. On 28^th June, objections were received by Northamptonshire County Council Public Health as the Responsible Authority, relating to the following Licensing Objectives:

1.    The prevention of public nuisance

2.    The protection of children from harm

Representations by the applicant:

Tony Grover, representing the applicant, addressed the Sub-Committee. He informed Members that the application was the result of customers requesting that alcohol be sold in the shop for their convenience. He noted that Northamptonshire Police had not raised objections to the application, suggesting that it was because of the numerous stringent measures proposed by them; they had objected to a similar application in 2016. He agreed that the area in which the shop was located did have some cause for concern, but that the applicant was willing to take steps to make sure there were no adverse effects if the licence was granted. Mr Grover reminded the Sub-Committee that no objections were received from the Police or local residents or workers which, he stated, demonstrated how well his client planned on running the business. He commented that the conditions seemed restrictive, however, a number had already been implemented, which included steps to improve security. Mr Grover made reference to Alcohol Licensing Indicators that he had submitted. He suggested that the figures seemed high due to Oasis House and the Hope Centre being included, and noted that there was nothing to show that alcohol misuse in the area was solely down to the number of off-licences. He further noted that the absence of a Police objection regarding the safety of children was significant.

In response to questions, the Sub-Committee heard that the applicant had previous experience selling alcohol and that there would be a dispersal process in place for dispersing groups of drinkers congregating outside the shop.

Representations by the respondent:

Stephen Marks and Terry Pearson, from Northamptonshire Public Health, addressed the Sub-Committee. They noted that the figures within the Alcohol Licensing Indicators report did not include Oasis House and the Hope Centre, but the overall data showed high levels of alcohol harm regardless. They stated that alcohol had the potential to affect all 4 licensing objectives and put the community wellbeing at risk; current levels in the area were seen to be having a significant detrimental impact on the community, local economy and the licensing objectives. They commented that the desire to promote the local economy had to be balanced with the negative impacts. It was noted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.