Agenda item

To consider an application for a Temporary Event Notice for an event at the Burnham Association of Sports Clubs following objections having been received.

The Licensing Officer, Simon Bawler, introduced his report in respect of a Temporary Event Notice application for an event at the Burnham Association of Sports Clubs (BASC), Stoddens Road, Burnham on Sea, Somerset, TA8 2DE, following receipt of an objection from Mark Shipley on behalf of Somerset Council’s Environmental Protection Team.

The application was for a single day event on an external rugby field at the BACS ground for a music festival called “Under A Summers Moon” on Saturday 22^nd July 2023. Authorisation was sought for:

·       The sale and supply of alcohol from 12.00hrs to 23.00hrs.

·       The provision of regulated entertainment from 13.00hrs to 23.00hrs.

During his presentation, the Licensing Officer confirmed:

·       The BACS ground did have an existing premises licence, however this was restricted to the BACS main club house room and bar area only and did not include off sales and therefore was not relevant to this application.

·       The Applicant attended a Virtual Safety Advisory Group meeting on 15^th June 2023 with Somerset Council’s Environmental Protection and Licensing Teams. During this he had given an overview of the planned management of the event and a virtual tour of the site.

·       An updated Emergency Management Plan had been submitted last night.

·       Conditions cannot be attached to a Temporary Event Notice, whereas they could be attached to a premises licence.

The Environmental Health Officer, Mark Shipley, presented his objections around the lack of information given, in order to effectively manage the prevention of public nuisance, including:

·       There was not enough information in the application to explain the mitigation measures.

·       There was no Noise Management Plan detailing how noise would be controlled and managed including a procedure for noise complaints, a public contact and a responsible person to act on this during the event.

·       There was no detailed Event Management Plan, omitting specifics such as, the type of music, location of stages, orientation of speakers and control of crowd noise, to fully understand the implications of the event on nearby residential properties.

The Applicant, Robert Holden, explained that he ran a mobile bar business and had experience of running events in other areas. He was confident he could address the issues raised. He had been unable to get all the information written within the plans in time, but gave further details of the plans for the event:

·       They would keep the noise levels to nearby properties below the details specified in the updated Event Management Plan.

·       There would be a wristband system in place and only those over 18 years of age would be allowed into the licensable area.

·       There would be 15 security guards and stewards to keep the crowd safe, including bag searches on entry.

·       There would be 2 stages with a sound engineer each and a third sound engineer to monitor noise levels at the boundary to local properties, who would be authorised and able to turn the volume down remotely.

·       The speakers would be facing towards the countryside and not towards properties.

·       When the event had ended the marshals would guide event attendees off site promptly, avoiding residential areas where possible and keeping noise to a minimum.

During discussions the following points were made:

·       The Environmental Protection Team were happy to work with the Applicant on the points needed for clarification within the application, for further consideration to the Licensing Sub-Committee.

·       The Applicant had hoped in future to operate under a variation of the existing premise licence held by the BASC ground, however could not do this currently in the timescales needed prior to the event.

·       The Legal Adviser confirmed the importance of the noise planning information being written down within the documented plans to ensure accountability.

In summing up, the parties made the following representations:

·       The Environmental Health Officer stated that paperwork was currently unsatisfactory to demonstrate the prevention of public nuisance, but he was open to discussions with the Applicant on how to address this.

·       The Applicant signified his desire to work with the Environmental Protection Team to find a solution.

·       The Licensing Officer and Members expressed the importance of the correct planning for this event, in order to also promote the possibilities of future events.

Members of the Licensing Sub-Committee, the Legal Advisor and the Clerk, attending in an advisory capacity only, withdrew from the room to consider their decision in private session.

On reconvening, the Chair informed those present at the hearing of the decision of the Licensing Sub-Committee:

The meeting was adjourned until Tuesday 27^th June 2023 at 10.00am, to allow time for the Applicant to address the specific concerns raised by the Environmental Protection Team.

Subsequent to the adjournment the Temporary Event Notice application was withdrawn and the re-adjournment not required.