Agenda and draft minutes

To appoint a Chair for the duration of the meeting.

It was MOVED by Councillor Bird and SECONDED by Councillor Degrads and RESOLVED, to:

Appoint Councillor Patsy Cummings as Chair for the meeting.

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to register disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and gifts and hospitality to the value of which exceeds £50 or multiple gifts and/or instances of hospitality with a cumulative value of £50 or more when received from a single donor within a rolling twelve month period. In addition, Members and co-opted Members are reminded that unless their disclosable pecuniary interest is registered on the register of interests or is the subject of a pending notification to the Monitoring Officer, they are required to disclose those disclosable pecuniary interests at the meeting. This should be done by completing the Disclosure of Interest form and handing it to the Democratic Services representative at the start of the meeting. The Chair will then invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3. Completed disclosure forms will be provided to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion on the Register of Members’ Interests.

There were none.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no items of urgent business.

The Sub-Committee is asked to determine whether to grant the application for a premises licence at 314 Whitehorse Road, Croydon, CR0 2LE.

The Chair outlined the procedures for the Licensing Hearing in line with the Licensing Act 2003 and the Council’s protocol. The applicant and their representative were both present. Apologies were given by the objector and their representative was present but did not wish to be identified.

The Head of Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing introduced the report and explained the application was for a premises licence at Adjoa’s Kitchen Limited, 314 Whitehorse Road Croydon for the sale by retail of alcohol Monday - Sunday, 12.00pm - 11.00pm, for consumption of alcohol on the premises. The application had received one representation from a local resident, the details of this were available in the agenda pack at appendix A2. It was noted that whilst the objector was not present their representations remained relevant and for consideration by the Sub-Committee.

In response to questions from the Sub-Committee officers advised there was no licence currently held by the premises. It was noted that the sale of alcohol, not the consumption, was the licensable activity.

The Sub-Committee asked officers to verify the multiple noise complaints cited in the objector’s written representations. Officers advised two noise complaints had been reported to the Council’s Noise Pollution Team but no nuisance had been witnessed.

The applicant was given the opportunity to speak. Their representative advised the Sub Committee:

·     They had spoken to all their neighbours and had signed agreement from neighbours in support of the premises’ alcohol license application.

·     There was a flat above the premises which caused noise nuisance at weekends.

·     There was a bus stop and pathway outside the premises which the staff sometimes cleaned.

·     There was no intention for alcohol to be consumed outside the premises.

·     The premises had a large refuse bin and did not cause litter in the vicinity.

·     They were in good standing with the neighbours and businesses and queried whether the objector lived close to the premises.

In response to questions from the Sub-Committee the applicant’s representative advised:

·     The premises currently closed between 10.00pm and 10.30pm.

·     There was no alcohol currently consumed on the premises. The application for an alcohol license had been made to aid the business.

·     The garden space at the rear of the premises was used rarely, for customers to sit outside during the summer.

·     The garden space had shared access with the premises’ upstairs neighbours.

·     The upstairs neighbours had a large outside space upstairs which they used for parties. The applicant had spoken with the neighbours on a couple of occasions regarding the disturbance caused by their music.

·     They had contacted their shared landlord about the noise disturbance.

The Sub-Committee queried how the applicant communicated with the community and other local businesses and how neighbours could contact the applicant should they have any concerns to raise. The applicant’s representative advised the upstairs property was residential and not affiliated with the premises. They had previously spoken with the residents regarding noise and had now written to their landlord. The neighbour’s parties took place in the evenings after  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72/22