Agenda and minutes

To appoint a Chair for the purposes of this meeting.

RESOLVED:  That Councillor Knowles be appointed Chair of the Panel for the purposes of this meeting.

To note that there are no Reserve Members currently appointed to this Panel.

RESOLVED:  To note that no Reserve Members were currently appointed to the Panel.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from all Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members in relation to the business transacted at this meeting.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:To note that all items be considered with the press and public present.

[Note:  Licensing Panel minutes are:-

(1)               approved following each meeting by the Members serving on that particular occasion and signed as a correct record by the Chair for that meeting;

(2)               printed into the Council Minute Volume, published monthly;

(3)               not submitted to the next panel meeting for approval.

Reasons: The Licensing Panel is constituted from a pooled membership. Consequently, a subsequent Panel meeting is likely to comprise a different Chair and Members who took no part in the previous meeting’s proceedings. The process referred to at (1) above provides appropriate approval scrutiny].

See Note at conclusion of these Minutes.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 18 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received at this meeting under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 18, 15 and 16 (Part 4B of the Constitution) respectively.

The Chair introduced the Panel and officers present and outlined the procedure for the conduct of an oral hearing, which was set out in the agenda.

The Panel received a report of the Chief Environmental Health Officer which detailed an application for a conversion and simultaneous variation to the Justices’ Licensing hours for the Castle Public House, West Street, Harrow on the Hill.

The application was made by Messrs Poppleston Allen, Solicitors on behalf of Fullers, Smith and Turner Plc for a premises licence. The pub’s landlord, and representatives from Poppleston Allen and Fullers, Smith and Turner were present.  Representatives from two of the Responsible Authorities, the Council’s Environmental Protection Team and the Metropolitan Police, who had made representations in respect of the application were also in attendance.

The application sought an extension of hours for the sale of alcohol, live music, dancing and late night refreshments as listed in the report of the Chief Environmental Health Officer and the application.  The application had been referred to the Panel as there were unresolved representations from two Responsible Authorities and 170 representations from local residents.

The premises were situated in a residential area and in close proximity to Harrow School.

Prior to hearing the application, it had been identified that some of the local residents’ objections had been omitted from the agenda in error.  The Panel agreed that the papers should be circulated to all in attendance at the meeting.  In addition, and with the agreement of all parties present, a five minute adjournment was allowed for those tabled papers to be read.

The Panel proceeded to hear the application before them as circulated in the agenda and tabled at the meeting.

An officer from the Licensing Department presented the case and sought clarification to the proposed hours for the sale of alcohol, as they differed in Part B1 “Variation” and Section M of the application.  The officer also queried why Box G “Performance of Dance” had not been applied for, although Box E  “Live Music” had, which was unusual.

The applicant’s representative confirmed that the hours for the sale of alcohol were those detailed on page 27 of the agenda and that the hours listed on page 19 should be disregarded.  The applicant’s representative offered an amendment to the application by withdrawing the request for live music.  He suggested that the extended hours sought were not going to be a regular occurrence but would enable ad hoc functions such as birthday parties to take place.  The applicant’s representative informed the Panel that the cases of vandalism, as detailed in the representations, may not have emanated from the public house and that of the two cases reported to the Police, only one was in relation to the premises. 

The main concern expressed by local residents’ related to noise and disturbance from patrons particularly when leaving the premises. Residents were also unhappy that car parking spaces taken up by patrons meant that residents had to park some distance from their own homes.  Residents were generally unhappy about the extended hours in such a highly populated residential area and also raised concerns over the public house being within such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 176.

In accordance with the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 14.2 (ii) (Part 4B of the Constitution), it was;

RESOLVED: at (1) 10.00 pm to continue until 10.15pm;

(2) 10.15 pm to continue until 10.30 pm;

(3) 10.30 pm to continue until 11.00 pm.