Agenda and draft minutes

Consideration was given to an application (made in accordance with Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003) by SME Environmental Holdings Ltd. for the grant of a Premises Licence in respect of an Outdoor Event Space situated at Bassingthorpe Lane, Rotherham S61  4QW.

The applicant, Mr. Mark McGrail, Director of SME Environmental Holdings Ltd., was seeking authorisation to allow:-

-        The sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises

-        Regulated entertainment by way of the provision of live and recorded music, the performance of plays and dance and the exhibition of films

-        Provision of late night refreshment

The application sought permission to provide licensable activities between May and September on no more than 16 occasions between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 12.00 midnight.  An “occasion” could fall on any day of the week.

Mr. McGrail was named in the application as the Designated Premises Supervisor.

Mr. McGrail was present at the hearing together with Mr. Roberts.

Consultation on the application had been carried out in accordance with all statutory requirements and the Council procedure.  During the consultation period, 29 representations opposed to the application had been received together with a single representation in support.

Two of the Responsible Authorities, South Yorkshire Police and the Council’s Community Protection Unit, had made representations opposed to the application (Appendix 3).

Representations of the 2 Ward Councillors and 25 “Other Persons”, all of whom were opposed to the application, were attached at Appendix 4 of the report submitted.

The representation received by an “Other Person” in support of the application was attached at Appendix 5.

Subsequent to the publication of the agenda, South Yorkshire Police had continued their negotiations resulting in the applicant formally amending the application.  The application now sought permission to provide licensable activities between May and September on a maximum of 6 occasions.  In addition, a further 28 event management controls had been offered all of which would automatically be applied to any licence that may be granted. 

This amendment to the application had resulted in the withdrawal of South Yorkshire Police’s representation.

The Community Protection Unit had further added to their representation welcoming the proposed control measures, however, felt that they remained largely aspirational and lacked sufficient detail to provide confidence that events would be effectively managed and controlled in practice.

The proposed migration measures did not address the fundamental concerns associated with the suitability of the locality itself.  The field was accessed via a narrow road with events proposed that may attract significant numbers of attendees.  Noise sensitive receptors were 600 m away with no material barrier between themselves and the venue.  This presented ongoing concerns regarding the prevention of public nuisance and the practical management of large scale events.

If the licence was to be granted, the Community Protection Unit had requested additional amendments and conditions be applied to the licence.

Representatives of South Yorkshire Police were present as a courtesy to the Sub-Committee and to answer any questions Members may have as a result  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.