Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Council House

Contact: Rosie Brookshaw-Williams  Email: democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

54.

Appointment of Chair and Vice-Chair

The Committee will appoint a Chair and Vice-Chair for this particular meeting.

Minutes:

 

The Committee agreed to appoint Councillor Allen as Chair and Councillor Hendy as Vice-Chair for this meeting.

55.

Declarations of Interest

Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda.

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were made.

56.

Chair's Urgent Business

To receive reports on business which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

Minutes:

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

57.

Premises Licence Grant Report - Moneyking Casino pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee having:

a)    Considered the report from the Director of Public health, including the guidance and policy referred to therein;

b)    Heard from the applicant as follows:

i)             He was a Co-Director of Moneycasino Ltd and both Directors were taxi drivers who had a passion for gambling and wanted to establish a gambling business;

ii)            The company had been granted an Operator’s Licence by the Gambling Commission which had been a two year process with various courses being completed;

iii)           The premises would have CCTV (inside and outside the premises) and there would be a strict ‘Challenge 25’ to policy to prevent under 18 year olds from entering the premises;

iv)           The company would use the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA) training courses to train staff;

v)            The premises used to be a sport betting establishment which would have had a higher footfall than an Adult Gambling Centre;

vi)           The application for 24 hour opening was to enable the business to cover rent/wages and to cater for night workers. The applicant was flexible regarding the hours the premises are open. Also the premises being open 24 hours a day would prevent the likelihood of robbery;

vii)          The applicant was aware of his ‘social responsibility’ as an Adult Gambling Centre operator as he had been a gambler and was aware of the dangers of excessive gambling and would intervene where necessary and would provide a ‘cooling off area’ if customers were spending too much money or becoming stressed. He commented in his experience, most customers were not a problem and on his premises the stakes were relatively low;

viii)         The applicant outlined there would be two members of staff on duty, and the applicant intended to be present 12 hours a day on site but would continue to be a taxi driver focusing on the school run journeys;

ix)           The front of the premises would be neutral and would not encourage children to enter;

x)            The applicant accepted the plotted map is wrong because there was an ATM at the Co-Op which had not been included.

c)    Considered the representations from the objectors Councillor Dann and Councillor Aspinall who were the Councillors for the ward where the premises was located:

 

i)             Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) was rife in the area of the proposed premises which had caused the Police and Councillors concern.

ii)            An all-night Adult Gaming Premises would potentially increase the footfall/gathering in the area and increase ASB;

iii)           The area was a high-density residential area, with a number of HMOs in the immediate area, therefore the noise from people coming/going and smoking outside would disturb families;

iv)           The ward was a deprived area and there were issues with people with alcohol and drug addictions and there was a concern a new Adult Gaming Premises would add to the problem;

v)            With regards to Prevention of Harm or Exploitation of Children there were a number of schools in the area so the premises would be tempting to children. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.