Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

There were none.

The Licensing Enforcement Officer advised the Sub-Committee that Mrs Teresa McCarthy submitted 2 Temporary Event Notice applications which were received by Northampton Borough Council on 1^st December 2017. The Police and Environmental Health had objected to the applications on the grounds of not being able to properly risk assess the event against the 4 licensing objectives and of public nuisance, however, following the applicant’s submission of an Event Management Plan, Environmental Health decided to withdraw their objection.

Roger Buckley, Licensing Consultant, addressed the Sub-Committee and stated that the space provided by the 2 road closures would be used by a band stand, craft stalls, toilets and 2 bars; 1 on each street. He noted that applications had been submitted to the County Council regarding road closures for Clare Street and Grove Road, the hours closed being 9am-7pm and 9am-12am respectively. The bars would staffed by personal licence-holding employees, stewards and security staff would also be hired from agencies previously approved for events ran by the Council, as would the stage. Mr Buckley explained that any minor issues would be dealt with by security so as not to add pressure to Police work. He stated that following liaisons with the Police and the Licensing Department, a number of conditions had been agreed and would be implemented, such as light towers being situated in such a way as to not intrude upon nearby properties. The event would be ticketed and limited to 850 tickets sold from the pub. Footpaths via Grove Road and Clare Street would be used to enter the event and diversions around the event would be put in place. Mr Buckley noted that an Event Management Plan and Risk Assessment had been supplied.

Sargeant Martin O’Connell addressed the Sub-Committee and thanked the applicant for the speed in which his enquiries were responded to. He stated that although the Police did not object to this type of event, the location was cause for concern, being situated directly next to at least 30 dwelling houses and several businesses. Given the proposed location, Sargeant O’Connell raised his concern that the potential for crime and disorder was likely. He further stated that the area already saw a fair amount of crime and antisocial behaviour due to the number of licensed premises and asked Members to bear in mind the cumulative impact that the event, along with other factors, may have on the wider area.

In response to questions directed at Sargeant O’Connell, the Committee heard street-drinkers and related anti-social behaviour were a problem in the area already. They were informed that it was the responsibility of the event management to police these types of events, and not the Police. It was explained that although only the immediate properties were considered when forming the Police’s objection, the nearby church and mosque could be cause for concern as part of a wider consultation.

Mr Buckley questioned whether the level of crime was directly related to the number of licensed premises in the area and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.