Agenda item

To receive the report of the Chief Officer (Elections and Regulatory) for an application to vary a premises licence held by Back Room Bars Ltd for The Back Room 50A, Call Lane, Leeds, LS1 6DT

(Report attached)

The report of the Chief Officer, Elections and Regulatory presented an application to vary a Premises Licence held by The Back Room, 50A Call Lane, Leeds, LS1 6DT.

The applicant had applied to extend the licensable hours from 04:00 to 06:00 on Sundays to Thursday which were the same hours as operated on Friday and Saturday.

The application had received a representation from West Yorkshire Police which had been withdrawn following agreement regarding measures to prevent crime and disorder.

The application had also received a representation from a local Ward Councillor and a local resident.

The premises fell within the Cumulative Impact Area although the times applied for fell outside peak times for crime and disorder.

The following were in attendance:

-  Mr J Hancock – Back Room Bars

-  Mr D Hopcroft – Director, Back Room Bars

-  Ms C Herber – General Manager – Back Room Bar

-  Councillor P Wray – Local Ward Councillor

The applicant’s representative addressed the sub-committee.  The following was highlighted:

·  The DPS was also the Chair of Leeds City Pubwatch and Vice Chair of BACIL.

·  The premises had operated until 06:00 on Friday and Saturday since May 2013 and also on over forty other occasions till 06:00 without any complaints being received.

·  A dispersal policy was in operation and overlooked by trained and experienced staff who were committed to reducing crime and disorder in the area.

·  The premises was a popular destination for other hospitality workers.

·  It wasn’t expected to open till 06:00 every day but this would give the flexibility to keep the premises open when required.

A local Ward Councillor addressed the sub-committee with concerns and objections to the application.  These included the following:

·  There was a need to balance the needs for residents in the area.  Although historically it was a predominantly commercial area, there were now a large number of residents nearby.

·  Having late opening hours on Sunday to Thursday was moving into the normal week and this would cause disruption for residents and commuters.

·  Ward Councillors received complaints regarding noise nuisance after the peak times.

·  Concern that other premises in the Cumulative Impact Area will apply for extended hours if this application was granted.

·  An increase in hours would be unreasonable to residents and the police.

·  Extended hours on bank holidays and seasonal periods would not be so detrimental.  The main concerns were potential for disruption during the working week.

In response to the concerns and objections, the applicant’s representative reported that there were other premises within the area that had opening hours after 04:00 on Sunday to Thursday, two of these being within 50 metres.  There was no intention to use the hours every day and it was to enable the operator to be flexible and not have to apply for Temporary Event Notices.  It was felt that later opening would also help with the dispersal of customers and would reduce the risk of public nuisance.

In response to questions from the sub-committee, the following was discussed:

·  The local Ward Councillor has had discussions with the police and environmental protection officers regarding concerns.  These concerns included reports of people urinating in doorways and noise disturbance.  There were approximately six hundred residents living within close proximity to the premises.

·  The applicant reported that the premises had a different trade patter to others and later on the custom was mainly hospitality workers from other premises who had just finished work and would not be intoxicated.

·  Approximately 10 Temporary Event Notices had been used at the premises in the past year to allow for later opening.

·  The applicant monitored noise outside the premises.  There was more noise generated by traffic and trains than from the premises.

·  It was anticipated that the additional hours applied for would mainly be used on Thursday nights should the application be granted.

The sub-committee adjourned to consider the report of the Chief Officer, Elections and Regulatory; the representations submitted and presented at the hearing along with the Statement of Licensing Policy.

RESOLVED – That the application be granted as applied for.