(a)

considered the report from Director for Public Health;

(b)

heard from the applicant and considered the response to the Notice of Hearing, as follows:

·        

this was effectively a re-application for a premises licence as the previous owners did not renew the licence during the pandemic;

·        

that they continue to implement the management controls recommended by the Police and have been in contact with the CCTV provider and have raised all issues mentioned in Appendix 3 of the report with them;

·        

with regards to public safety, all records on risk assessment and health and safety are up to date. Regular fire checks are carried out and records updated by trained staff members. They use industry guidelines with their housekeeping policy and current government guidelines which they will keep going such as hand sanitiser provided for guests and staff;

·        

in relation to public nuisance, on check-in guests are made aware of the area being residential, the need for consideration for residents and not to drink alcohol outside. There is also signage outside the front and back entrances;

·        

in respect of the protection of children from harm, as outlined in Appendix three of the report, they have allocated space in the lounge as a games area with games and books. Children are to be always accompanied by an adult throughout the hotel;

·        

of the staff employed, three of them have been with the hotel for over seven years and another three over three years. Three of the reception staff have a personal licence;

·        

two staff members live in the hotel and another two within 50 yards of the hotel;

·        

the hotel has been in operation for over 13 years and there have been no major incidents;

·        

the hotel has a very good relationship with the residents of Elliot Street and they take in deliveries for nearby residents and they hope to be able to work with the local residents in Elliot Street and the surrounding area;

·        

there was a change in ownership of the hotel two years ago. The new owners are looking at refurbishing sections of the hotel inside and outside;

·        

the idea was to serve light refreshments from 11pm onwards to a few small groups of friends who go the theatre etc;

·        

one staff member who lives in the hotel is tasked with general maintenance for inside the hotel to makes sure it is kept in good condition;

·        

regarding people leaving the building and causing a nuisance in the early hours of the morning then the only people that could be is hotel guests checking out. Alcohol is only served until 11pm and so guests are not drinking into the early hours;

·        

there are smoking bins outside the hotel and guests are not allowed to take alcohol outside;

·        

visitors who are not already guests will not be served alcohol after 11pm;

·        

the hotel has been there for 13 years and is very much a central part of the Hoe and has many returning guests;

(c)

disregarded the letter in support of the application as this was effectively a representation submitted outside of the timescales laid out within Licensing Act 2003 and as such could not be considered as a relevant representation;

(d)

noted that conditions had been agreed with the Police but that there had been no other representations from Responsible Authorities on any issue;

(e)

considered the written representations from other parties as detailed below:

·        

there was concern around the potential for noise during the night and early hours from the smoking area, loud music, shouting and singing etc. if permission is given for the extension to 5am.

This was considered to be relevant under the Prevention of Public Nuisance licensing objective. However, the committee did not consider that the addition of an alcohol licence would lead to the problems envisaged given that the premises already operate as a hotel and are only going to be open to the public until 11pm. It was also noted that there had been no objections from any Responsible Authority. It was therefore not considered appropriate to take any action to promote the licensing objective in respect of this representation.

·        

the premises have no suitable outside space for smokers who congregate outside the main entrance on Elliot Street and opposite a number of flats so there is a potential for noise disturbance at all hours and it is not reasonable to expect residents to put up with this until 5am. Patrons should not be allowed to bring their drinks outside onto the street.

This was considered to be relevant under the Prevention of Public Nuisance licensing objective. It was noted that the management confirmed that the smoking area is outside the front of the hotel however they would not allow residents to take alcohol outside. Therefore, in light of the information provided and to prevent any problems with noise from the use of the smoking area it was appropriate to impose the following condition to promote the above licensing objective:

       No alcohol may be taken out of the hotel into the smoking area

·        

problems could be caused if events are held into the early hours, as non-residents leave. There are already problems with shouting and noise when groups leave the Hoe after a BBQ or drinking session late at night, especially in the summertime.

This was considered to be relevant under the Prevention of Public Nuisance licensing objective. However, it was noted that the premises are closed to the public from 11pm onwards and the premises are not licenced for events beyond this time. Therefore, the problems envisaged in the representation should not occur and it was therefore not considered appropriate to take any action to promote the licensing objective in respect of this representation.