Agenda and draft minutes

To select a Member to act as Chair of the meeting.

Resolved:  That Councillor Grogan be elected Chair of the meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.

All Members are invited to declare at this point any interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm the procedure to be followed at the meeting.

The attached procedure was confirmed.

To seek the determination by the Statutory Licensing Sub-Committee of an application for the variation of a premises licence where one or more relevant representations has been received.

The Sub-Committee considered the report of the Corporate Director of Environment in respect of an application for a variation of a premises licence for the Croft Hotel, Dalton Road, Croft-on-Tees, DL2 2ST. 

For the Applicant, Stuart Bailey attended as the CEO, accompanied by Sarah Smith, the Solicitor.  Four members of the public attended the meeting, all of whom were objectors who had previously made representations to the Licensing Section.

Members and attendees heard from the Licensing Officer, who presented the report setting out the details of the variation which was being sought.  This included:

·         A summary of the variations, to include the provision of Films, Performance of dance and Anything of a similar description between 09:00 and 02:00, and the extension of Late Night Refreshment from finishing at 23:00 to 02:00.

·         Maps showing the extension of the area of proposed licensable activity.

·         The results of the consultation, and modifications made to the application after representations from North Yorkshire Police and Environmental Health.

The Applicant then explained the background and nature of the application, which included:

·         A history of the site, and a brief outline of the recent works and modifications which had been made to the site, and how these had necessitated variations to the premises license.

·         The conditions which had been added as part of the application as a result of engagement with residents, including:

o   Reducing the finishing time for films to 00:00

o   Recording of the results of hourly sound tests

o   The restriction of glass disposal times

o   The restriction of entertainment and music to indoors only.

The Objectors were then invited to speak, and their comments included:

·         That the revisions to the Operating Schedule made by the Applicant were welcomed.

·         That recent events held at the premises had resulted in serious noise disruption to local residents, and that after making a complaint, the management had not closed the doors until 21:00.

·         That throughout the evening of the event, noise was audible inside the Objectors’ homes, despite the poor weather which might have reduced the tendency of guests to go outside.

·         Objectors were keen for the business to succeed, but not at the cost of residents’ quality of life.  The Applicant was asked to provide clear information on the complaints procedure, to ensure the conditions were written in plain English, and welcomed the opportunity to meet regularly with management to discuss ongoing issues.

Resolved:  That the variation be GRANTED as per the application, with:

·         Condition 7 amended to state that, whenever live DJ entertainments, or music entertainments are taking place inside the premises, that the windows and doors be shut except for the purposes of ingress and egress.

·         An additional Condition be added to state that the use of the outdoor areas, aside from the function room terrace, cease at 23:00.