Issue - meetings

To consider an application for a new premises licence for The Perfect shop Ltd., 13 High Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 3BE following objections having been received.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and Members of the Panel, officers and the following attendees introduced themselves:

It was confirmed that the meeting would follow the procedure as set out in the agenda pack and then the Licensing Officer presented his report.

Mr Mander explained that he was the Chair of the Town Council’s Planning Committee, which was charged with considering licensing application, and that the Committee had unanimously voted to object to the application. As part of his presentation and in response to questions he made the following points:

Ø  The premises was within the part of Bridgwater town centre, between Penel Orlieu and the Admiral Blake statue, that had been identified by the Avon & Somerset Police as a hotspot for youth crime.

Ø  There was already an ongoing and persistent issue of anti-social behaviour linked to the increasing number of street drinkers in the area

Ø  It was their view that granting a liquor licence to another town centre shop unit would lead to an increased amount of the crime and disorder.

Ø  Public safety would be endangered as a direct result of the ready sale of alcohol in a prime town centre location.

Ø  An additional off-licence would encourage street drinkers to hang around the town centre and further increase tensions between gangs and young teenage children and the adult street drinkers, and could lead to a greater degree of public nuisance.

Ø  Both the Police and the Town Wardens had been working hard to defuse tensions and tackle that unruly behaviour that was unfortunate. common around the town centre.

Ø  Granting a licence to sell alcohol on an off licence basis could undermine the hard work put in by the various agencies, particularly in respect to protecting children from harm.

Ø  Whilst they welcomed the numerous conditions that the Police were proposing the Town Council was concerned over who would be available around the clock, to monitor their compliance with the conditions.

Ø  Although their main concerned was over daytime drinking there was another shop, just over the town bridge, that was open until the early hours of the morning and they were worried that an additional shop nearby would only add to problems.

The Licensing Officer clarified that the other shop referred to had a licence to sell alcohol from 08:00hrs to 01:00hrs Sunday to Thursday and from 08:00hrs to 04:00hrs Friday and Saturday, and that they were able to sell single cans of drinks marked with an ‘X’ on the bottom of the cans.

The Applicants, as part of their presentation and in response to questions, made the following points:

§  The shop would be a convenience store offering groceries with an off licence provision offering competitive prices, fresh produce and would be ideal for last minute shopping.

§  The Applicant was investing a lot in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37