Agenda and minutes

Councillor Lyon was appointed as Chair of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Purpose

That the Committee consider objections received in respect of the provision of highway amenities consisting oftables and chairs at Bangerz 'n' Brewz and so far as this relates to a new amenity application.

RECOMMENDED that the committee determine the matter.

(The hearing procedure followed was that for where representations have been made by "other persons" i.e. members of the public, and three had registered to speak at the meeting.)

Summary of Application and Representations

Ross Lee presented the report on behalf of the Licensing Manager. There had been no representations from the Responsible Authorities but residents' objections were predominantly regarding the width of the pavement and the potential for noise. He highlighted that several objections had been withdrawn, and that following discussions with the objectors, the application had been changed to use the tables between the hours of 12.00hrs and 21.00hrs. 

Members' questions included the following:

·         Had the correct advertising and notification of the application taken place - this was confirmed.

·         Had all of the Responsible Authorities been consulted - this was confirmed.

The Applicant's case

This was presented by Mr Stone.   He gave background information about the café and said that the tables would provide additional footfall for the café and 20% more in the way of covers.  He went on to say that it was an east facing building that would get hot in the summer, so outside tables would be most welcome to customers.

He added that the tables that he was proposing to use would be smaller than the ones shown in the report, and he circulated pictures of the proposed tables in front of the café. He added that with regard to the perceived noise level, the café would close at 22.00 and the staff would all have left by 22.30.  The building was sound proofed, and rarely had customers after 8pm on a weekday.  He submitted a letter in support of the café from a local resident

Members' questions included the following:

·         Had the business on either side of the café been consulted. This was confirmed and pointed out that there was only one still trading at the present time.

·         It was asked how many staff were employed, and Mr Stone said that there was one full time chef, a part time sous chef, and four or five staff doing the equivalent of a day a week.  There were 20 covers inside the café.

·         That whilst there was no specific exterior CCTV, the cameras inside the café would show the outside tables.

·         That a post and rail system would alleviate concerns expressed about the width of the pavement.

The "Other persons" Case

Mrs Smyth said that following a discussion with the applicant prior to the meeting, some of the objectors had withdrawn their concerns, as the tables and chairs were now going to be much smaller than had been initially suggested and, in addition, objections around possibility of noise had large been dealt with by the alteration of the application for the table use from up to 23.00hrs to 21.00hrs. 

Residents who were concerned about the narrowness of the pavement would be satisfied with a post and rail solution.

Mr Mohammed stated that there had never been a shop selling alcohol in the area,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.