Agenda and minutes

The chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, and explained how the meeting would be conducted. 

Members of the Sub-Committee are invited to identify any personal or prejudicial interests relevant to items on the agenda. Please refer to the guidance note attached to the agenda.

Councillor Vince declared a personal interest as she knew Mr Alexander, one of the interested parties objecting to the application for Trent Park. 

Councillor Savva declared a personal interest as he knew Mr Kouttis, the applicant for the Willow, temporary event notice. 

Application for a new time-limited premises licence.

RECEIVED an application from the Council’s Parks Department for a new time limited premises licence for Trent Park, Cockfosters Road, EN4. 

NOTED

1.         The introduction by Mark Galvayne, Principal Licensing Officer, including: 

a.                  This was an application for a New Years Eve time limited premises licence lasting 12 hours from 6pm to 6am the following morning, for Trent Park. 

b.                  Trent Park already had an entertainment licence covering an unrestricted number of people.

c.                  This application was only before the Sub-Committee because it concerned more than 500 attendees. Otherwise a Temporary Event Notice would have covered the event, residents can’t oppose a Temporary Event Notice and there would have been no hearing.

d.                  No representations had been received from the responsible authorities in respect of any of the 4 licensing objectives. 

e.                  There had been representations from the three ward councillors, the Chalk Lane Residents Association and from seven individual local residents. 

f.                    All eleven representations remained extant.  

2.                        The objections from interested parties, Donald Alexander, representing the Chalk Lane Area Residents Association and Colin Bull, a resident of Fair Green East, including:

a.                  Donald Alexander reported that he had been mandated to oppose this application on behalf of the Chalk Lane Area Residents Association at their recent Annual General Meeting.  The AGM attendees were unanimously opposed.

b.                  The objections fell under the two headings of public nuisance and crime and disorder. 

c.                  His opinion was that more than 800 people were likely to attend the event.  Many would arrive from the East and North West by car and not by public transport, especially if it was cold and wet. 

d.                  The application was submitted too late to obtain a traffic order, preventing parking in local streets, as had been obtained on previous occasions to limit parking. 

e.                  Local residents would suffer noise nuisance from car drivers and their passengers leaving the event after 2pm.  The noise would wake up local residents, particularly if the wind was blowing in the direction of their houses. 

f.                    The Council had previously promised to inform residents in writing about any prospective events in the park, but had not done so on this occasion. 

g.                  Only a limited area of the park would be lit.  Others could come in under cover of darkness and cause trouble. 

h.                  Overnight events were unsuitable, leading to uncontrolled behaviour, with the organisers having no legal power of enforcement.  The authorities would already be busy, as it was New Year’s Eve. 

i.                    The promoter had sold the tickets before obtaining the licence.

j.                     He hoped that the Sub Committee would refuse the application, but if not, would accept a licence being granted up to 1am. 

k.                  Colin Bull spoke representing at least 15 residents in the surrounding streets. 

l.                     The citing of the sound stages on the other side of the reservoir would make it very noisy for local residents. 

m.                He said that not all residents had been made aware that the event was taking  ...  view the full minutes text for item 517.

To agree as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 23 November 2011.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 November 2011 were confirmed as a correct record. 

If necessary, to consider passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 excluding the press and public from the meeting for any items of business moved to part 2 of the agenda on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in those paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

To receive, pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) a report from the Principal Licensing Officer regarding an application for a Temporary Event Notice.

Licensing Sub Committee is asked to consider dealing with this application as an urgent item as the hearing must be commenced between 15^th – 23^rd December 2011.  In accordance with Schedule 1 of the Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005, however, the period within which the Police could give the objection notice to this particular matter was 13th-14th December 2011, which meant it was not possible to list the item on the agenda for this meeting.

RECEIVED a report from the principal licensing officer regarding an application for a Temporary Event Notice. 

NOTED

1.         The introduction by Mark Galvayne, Principal Licensing Officer, including:

a.                  This was an application for a temporary event notice from Mr Phidias Kouttis, for an event between 11pm on Monday 26 December 2011 and 3am on Tuesday 27 December 2011.  The event would include the sale of alcohol, regulated entertainment and late night refreshment for 400 persons.

b.                  The Police have objected to the application on the grounds that it would undermine the crime prevention objective. 

c.                  Members were able to either grant or refuse the temporary event notice.   They cannot make any amendments themselves but they could rule on an amended application if the applicant wished to make any changes. 

2.         The objections from Police Constable Fisher including: 

a.                  Concern that granting the temporary event notice would result in noise nuisance. 

b.                  Mr Kouttis had said that this would be a low key event, a Christmas party with live jazz for a maximum of 400 people.  There would be no disco or DJ.  Despite this, PC Fisher felt that allowing the temporary event notice would result in noise nuisance for the people living near the Willow. 

c.                  Eleven previous temporary event notices had been given without objection.

3.         Responses to questions raised including:

a.                  The Police had been advised that the music would be of a background nature, but there had been a history of excessive noise breakout at previous events.

b.                  The Out of Hours’ Team had no confidence that the noise would be kept at an appropriate level.

c.                  Mr Simis Kouttis, the applicant’s son, who was at the hearing, said that only 100 people were expected to attend the event and that the police had no evidence that granting the notice would result in crime and disorder. 

d.                  Crime and disorder had occurred recently on two previous occasions and a noise abatement notice issued.  Simis Kouttis said that these were subject to appeal and were being contested.

e.                  Following the breach, a noise calibrating expert had been employed to check the noise levels and to recalibrate the equipment, which would limit the noise in future. 

f.                    Breaching a Noise Abatement Notice was a crime. 

4.                  SimisKouttis, attending the hearing on behalf of the applicant spoke in support of the application:

a.                  He expressed his confidence that the noise would be controlled on this occasion.  The proposed event was private, would take place downstairs and was being organised by a specific group of people.

b.                  There was no suggestion that holding the event would result in any other type of criminal activity.

c.                  A sound management plan had been produced as a condition of the lease and sound proofing installed.

5.                  Responses to questions raised

a.                  Despite the information contained in the letter on page 25 of the report, Simis Kouttis, maintained that the sound limiter had not been disconnected.

b.                  Despite  ...  view the full minutes text for item 521.