Agenda and minutes

Licensing Sub-Committee - Wednesday, 19th April, 2023 11.00 am

Venue: Council Chamber - The Guildhall, Portsmouth. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services 023 9283 4056  Email: Democratic@Portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

18.

Appointment of Chair

Minutes:

Councillor Lewis Gosling was elected Chair.

 

19.

Declarations of Members' Interests

Minutes:

No interests were declared.

20.

Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 (as amended by section 27 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009) Licensing of Sex Establishments - Sexual Entertainment Venues Application for the renewal of a licence - Wellhot Ltd - Elegance 1 Granada Road Southsea PO4 0RD pdf icon PDF 225 KB

Purpose.

The purpose of this report is for the committee to determine an application for the renewal of a sexual entertainment venue licence in respect of the premises situated at 1 Granada Road, Southsea PO4 0RD and known as Elegance.  The application has been submitted by Wellhot Ltd.

 

RECOMMENDED that the committee determine this application.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Present

Jaspal Singh Ojla, the applicant

Taran Singh Ojla, Manager

Jon Wallsgrove, the applicant's solicitor

 

Ben Attrill, Legal Advisor

Nickii Humphreys, Licensing Manager

 

The Licensing Manager introduced the report and drew attention to paragraph 7.10a of the statement of licensing policy.  She explained that there is a statutory requirement to advertise the application at the premises and in the local newspaper. The notice at the premises was displayed in accordance with those provisions however due to publication timescales the applicant missed the statutory deadline of the notice appearing in the press. The period for objections to be made was therefore extended. The Police, Fire Authority, Planning, Children's Safeguarding and Ward Councillors had not objected to the application.

 

She advised that 29 objections had been received before the deadline.  There had been one late objection which was received on Thursday 13 April at 6pm. Ms Humphreys said she could read out the late objection at the hearing and she had also shown this to Mr Wallsgrove this morning prior to the start of the hearing.  Mr Attrill advised the Sub Committee that it was better to consider the late representation, but this was a discretion that the Sub Committee had, and they therefore needed to decide whether they wished to exercise their discretion to consider a late representation.  The Sub Committee should consider how late the representation was made, the reason for its lateness, would the admission create any prejudice for the applicant given the fact they had only recently seen the representation and to what extent the late representation adds anything to the strength of the argument as well as the impact of the party who had made the representation. He advised that the applicant should have the opportunity to address the committee on this matter as well. 

 

Mr Wallsgrove advised that the applicant had no objection for the Sub Committee to take the late representation into account.  He felt it was not adding any new evidence that they would need time to consider as it was in a similar vein to many of the other representations therefore, they had no objection to the representation to be read out. The Sub Committee agreed that the late representation should be heard. 

 

Ms Humphreys read out the late representation as follows:

 

'I have only just been made aware of the application and ask they you include my email as confirmation of my objection to the renewal of the sex establishment Elegance.  This is a residential area with family homes and I do not think that this type of establishment is necessary or suitable in this area.   At the moment I am quite happy to walk home after enjoying a meal out in Southsea but an establishment of this sort would make me more nervous of doing this because of the type of clientele that this establishment would attract'

 

 

Ms Humphreys advised that there are certain grounds for refusal; statutory grounds, which are not in question at this hearing and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.