Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Chief Officer, Elections and Regulatory

The report of the Chief Officer, Elections and Regulatory presented an application for the grant of a Premises Licence for The Glee Club, Unit 2, 123 Albion Street, Leeds, LS12 8ER.

The following were in attendance:

Chris Rees-Gay, Woods Whur – Representing the applicant

Mark Tughan – The Glee Club

Peter Rogers – Sustainable Acoustics

The Legal Officer explained the procedure to be followed.  All parties present agreed to the hearing going ahead with a Sub-Committee of two Members.

The Licensing Officer outlined the application.  The hours of operation applied for were as follows:

Exhibition of a film, Performance of a play, Performance of recorded music, Performance of live music, Performance of dance, Anything of a similar description:

Everyday 10:00 to 03:00

Sale by retail of alcohol on the premises:

Everyday 10:00 to 03:00

Late Night Refreshment:

Everyday 23:00 to 03:00

The premises were located within the Leeds City Centre Cumulative Impact Area.  Representations had been made by the Environmental Protection Team and agreement had been reached with proposed conditions.  There were still outstanding representations from members of the public.

The applicant was invited to address the Sub-Committee.  The following was highlighted:

·  Approval for the application was sought as applied for with the addition of the Environmental Protect Team conditions.

·  The applicant operated four similar venues in major cities across the UK and was an industry leader and award winner.

·  The main customer base was between 30 and 54 years old.  Fifty one percent of revenue came from ticket sales of which ninety one percent were sold in advance.

·  The premises would follow a theatre style of operation.

·  Should the licence be granted, this would create thirty five jobs, five of which would be full time.

·  All staff would receive full training and there were training policies and programs to ensure that staff were aware of and met licensing objectives.

·  There had been pre-application discussions with West Yorkshire Police. There had not been any representation from the Police as there were no concerns regarding crime and disorder.

·  There had been sound testing done at the premises and a noise impact assessment.  Conditions had been agreed with the Environmental Protection Team.

·  There had been a meeting with local residents and residents had been given direct contact details should there be any further concerns.

·  The hours applied for were to allow maximum flexibility as on occasion there may be collaboration with other events and festivals.

·  The premises were not within the red zone of the Cumulative Impact Area.

·  The premises style of operation would be different to that of previous uses and it would be a destination venue which was family based and multi-generational.

·  The applicant had not received any complaints regarding noise at their other premises.

·  This would be the only dedicated Comedy Club in Leeds and would be culturally beneficial to the city with the provision of high quality music and cabaret style entertainment.

In response to questions from the sub-committee, discussion included the following:

·  The later opening hours had been requested to allow post shows for acts from other venues and to link with other cultural festivals and events.  It was not planned t use the full hours every day.  It was just to allow for flexibility.

·  The sound system would be set up differently to previous systems so that it did not cause disturbance.  Tests had been carried out.

·  All events would be advertised and usually three to nine months in advance.  Residents could be sent a link to inform them of events.

·  It was estimated that the full opening hours would be used between thirty and sixty times per year.

·  It was not anticipated there would be problems with dispersal from the premises.  There was no rush for people to leave following performances and it would not be a nightclub style of operation.

In summary, it was requested that the application be granted.  The applicant had undertaken pre-application discussions with the police and Environmental Protection and had agreed to conditions which were detailed in the report. 

The Sub-Committee went into private session to make their deliberations and carefully considered the report of the Chief Officer, Elections and Regulatory, the submissions made in writing and made at the hearing and also the Statement of Licensing Policy.

RESOLVED – That the application be granted as applied for with the inclusion of the conditions agreed between the applicant and Environmental Protection Team.