Agenda item

The report of the Chief Officer (Elections and Regulatory) requests Member’s consideration on an application for the grant of a premises licence for Oulton With Woodlesford Sports & Social Club, The Pavilion, Wakefield Road, Oulton, Leeds, LS26 8EL.

(Report attached)

The report of the Chief Officer (Elections and Regulatory) introduced an application for the grant of a premises licence for Oulton With Woodlesford Sports & Social Club, The Pavilion, Wakefield Road, Oulton, Leeds, LS26 8EL.

Supplementary information in the form of some background information, was provided to relevant parties prior to the meeting.

The following were in attendance for this item:

o  Michael Jagger, Club Secretary

o  David Beane, Club Chair

The Legal Adviser to the Sub-Committee set out the procedure to be followed, and the Principal Licensing Officer outlined the application.

The premises currently holds a Club Premises Certificate (details of activities and hours can be seen at point 2.1 of the submitted report) and the application sought a premises licence for the following:

·  Sale by retail of alcohol (for consumption both on and off the premises) – Every day 11:00 – 00:00

·  Performance of live music and recorded music – Every day 11:00 – 23:00

·  Non-standard timings – All activities until 01:00 on New Year’s Day

It was noted that the application will provide greater flexibility, particularly for outdoor events.

West Yorkshire Police and Environmental Health, both provided additional measures to the applicant which have been agreed and incorporated into the operating schedule. Following this agreement, both representations have been withdrawn.

The application had attracted 16 representations from members of the public that remained outstanding. The representations were made primarily on the grounds of public nuisance and can be viewed at Appendix E of the submitted report.

The Club Chair addressed the Sub-Committee and acknowledged the support and advice received from responsible authorities. David explained that he has been a member of the club for 8 years, and Michael has been a member for over 20 years. The club has served the LS26 community since 1879, with a vision of providing accessible and affordable sports to everybody in the community. David explained that the running costs of the club has heavily relied on monies generated from the bar, matches and fund-raising events.

There is an annual family friendly event, Oulton Festival, that raises 15% of the funds for running costs for the year, club improvements and maintenance. The event is managed respectfully and is managed / run by volunteers. It was reiterated that sport is the clubs priority, and it was confirmed that there is no scope to expand on hosting events throughout the year. The Sub-Committee were informed that if the application was refused, the club will have to increase membership fees to £150 per year, and it was deemed that this will be unaffordable to many people in the community.

For a point of clarity, Michael confirmed that revised plan restricted the sale of alcohol to the club house, patio, and marquee area only.

In response to Member’s questions, the following was confirmed:

·  The primary function of the club is a sporting base and has been since 1879. A single event over a 3-day period has been held in the past using Temporary Event Notices (TENs). The application allows the club to hold the annual event without having to apply for a TEN. There is no prior knowledge of the club holding other events. Any additional events will be held on an ad hoc basis and those in attendance agreed to limit the number of events the club can hold, should the Sub-Committee impose such conditions.

·  The club were in breach of the Club Premises Certificate by allowing non-members to drink at the club and this is one of the reasons why the applicant has applied for the licence.

·  The objectives of the club as contained within the constitution are 1) the provision of sport at facility, 2) to enhance facilities to improve the quality of facilities and 3) to raise funds to meet objectives 1 & 2.

·  In terms of Oulton Festival, the club has tried to negate any possible issues by directing sound and traffic away from the residential area and listening to feedback provided by residents & members. The festival has attracted approximately 2,000 at its peak period and the club works closely with Anchor to allow care home patients to enjoy the festival.

·  In terms of local engagement, the club has responded to messages on social media on the clubs operating model intentions and provided contact details to residents, as well as undertaking a face-to-face discussion with a local ward councillor.

·  The premises has been running as a sporting club since 1879, and it was of the opinion of the applicant that the premises wouldn’t be taken over by somebody else imminently. Members acknowledged that this cannot be guaranteed and raised concerns regarding outside events during summer.

·  The premises is leased with Leeds City Council and the club pay rent for the pitch.

·  There are a variety of age groups training throughout the week, in groups of approximately 15-25 people and it was noted that matches are held on weekends, with not much scope to hold additional events.

·  The 20:20 cricket match had some intro and exit music.

Conclusion

Having considered all information before the Licensing Sub Committee, and as part of a private deliberation process, it was

RESOLVED – That the application be granted as applied for, subject to an additional condition that outdoor events held under the authorisation of the premises licence do not exceed 9 days per year.