LICENSING 12 Nov

-TEXT-LICENSING SUB-COMMITTEE (SPECIAL MEETING) 12 November 2001

(9.30 – 10.30am)

PRESENT: Councillors Knowles (Chair), Cowell and Dixon

FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE COUNCIL

-TYPE-MINUTE

-COMMITTEE-Licensing 16th December 1999

-DATE-19991216

-MINUTE_NUMBER-01/m/129

-HEADING-APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Councillors J Rosenstiel, T Schofield and Slatter.

-END-

-TYPE-MINUTE

-COMMITTEE-Licensing 16th December 1999

-DATE-19991216

-MINUTE_NUMBER-01m/130 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

01/m/131 APPLICATION FOR A SEX ESTABLISHMENT LICENCE

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services presented a report which described an application received from Bright Light Leisure Ltd. for a Sex Establishment Licence for 118-20 Newmarket Road Cambridge.

The applicant, Mark Lewis, attended the meeting along with his counsel, Nageena Khalique. No objectors were present although copies of all objections received within the statutory period were placed in full before the Sub-Committee. Councillor Blencowe attended as a Ward Councillor. Councillor Blencowe was advised by the Chair that he was not entitled to speak as he had not written to the Council with his objections within the statutory notice period. The applicant’s counsel put the case for granting a licence.

Ms Khalique made the following points:

The police had not objected.

No objection had been received from any person residing in the immediate vicinity.

The manager lined up to run the premises had considerable experience in this field.

(Having circulated photographs of potential and existing frontages for licensed and unlicensed sex shops) The windows would not have any material on display and would be obscured.

To accommodate the concerns expressed by the Governing Body of St Matthew’s School the shop could close between 3-4.00pm.

There would be a double door entry system and notices advising entry to over 18s only.
The reference to the Elizabeth Way underpass becoming more ‘unsavoury’ if a sex shop opened was conjecture.

Granting a licence would help control the pornography black market in Cambridge.

In response to questions from the Sub-Committee the following was noted:

There was no dedicated parking, so customers would approach by foot.

As well as hand delivering letters to all properties from the roundabout to Coldhams Lane (both sides) the Head of Environmental Health & Waste Strategy had issued a press release (printed by the Cambridge Evening News) along with the statutory public notice.

The Council would be able to impose some control on the appropriateness of current and future management through the licence conditions.

The applicant would prefer 9.30 to 8.00pm opening hours (to the suggested 9.30-6.00pm and 8.00pm on a Friday) if the shop were to close during the period when pupils would be leaving the school (3.00-4.00pm).

Finally, a suggestion was made by Councillor Dixon to enlarge the ‘relevant locality’ to cover an area further westward than put in Appendix C to encompass Parkside, Fair Street, Clarendon Street, Maids Causeway and include the Grafton Centre.

The Sub-Committee adjourned to discuss the application at 10.15 and re-convened at 10.30.

Resolved –

1) That a Sex Establishment Licence be granted for 118/20 Newmarket Road, subject to conditions based on those in Appendix A to the report with the hours of opening set at 9.30-6.00pm with a late closing on Friday to 8.00pm.

2) The ‘relevant locality’ to be as indicated in Appendix C plus extending westwards to include the area bounded by East Road, Parkside, Clarendon Street, Fair Street, Maids Causeway and to include the Grafton Centre.

3) That responsibility for drafting the conditions in detail be delegated to the Head of Environmental Health and Waste Strategy in consultation with the Chair and Councillors Cowell and Dixon.

The meeting ended at 10.30am.

CHAIR