Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:

that Councillor Scuplak be appointed as Chair for the meeting.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business on the agenda.

Members were asked to declare any interest they may have in the business on the agenda.

No such declarations were made.

Report attached. A copy of the associated documentation is attached for Members only. Further copies are available on the Council’s website at www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk or by phoning Democratic Support on 229 8897.

The Director Environmental Services submitted a report that required Members to determine an application for a review of an existing premises licence for Fusion, 51-53 Belvoir Street, Leicester, LE1 6SL.

Members noted that representations had been received in respect of this application, which necessitated that the application for a review of an existing premises licence had to be considered by Members.

Mr Rajesh Govind, now the designated premises supervisor (DPS) and premises licence holder (PLH), Ms Kanta Patel and Mr Nish Karia as representatives were present. Supt. Prior, PC TJ Mavani, PC Jon Webb, PC Dave Wadsworth, and PS Sean Moore from Leicestershire Constabulary, Ms Bobby Smiljanic from the Licensing Team (as witness for the Police), an Officer from the Noise Control Team, the Licensing Team Manager and a Legal Officer from Leicester City Council were also present.

Members were asked to note that at the time of writing the report Mr Kamalkumar Patel was the DPS, but he had been removed and Mr Rajesh Govind was the current DPS.

Colour photographs of the premises were circulated to Members.

The Licensing Team Manager presented the report and evidence was heard from all parties present. It was noted that an application for a review of the existing premises licence had been received from Leicestershire Constabulary on the grounds of the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety. A representation had been received from the Noise Team on the grounds of the prevention of public nuisance. Additional information from the current licence holder had been circulated to Members prior to the meeting.

The Police then proceeded to outline the reasons for their application and answered questions from Members:

·        In-between submitting the review application and the date of the hearing, the situation had changed.

·        The building was owned by the local diocese, and was sub-let by the then DPS, Mr Rajesh Govind to Mr Bhavik Kotecha in October 2009, which was a commercial arrangement.

·        Mr Govind and Ms Patel had run the bar until October 2009, during which there were no problems at all. The bar was well run.

·        During the period that the bar was sub-let to Mr Kotecha, the premises licence was held by Mr Bashir Chataria.

·        A subsequent application was made to extend the opening hours to 5.00am in April 2010, since when a number of serious incidents have occurred, and the police considered using their powers of closure on two recent occasions.

·        The application for a review of the premises licence included a number of steps that could be considered in order to promote the licensing objectives; the removal of the DPS; a terminal hour for licensable activities of 2.00am; the removal of a number of conditions in Annex 2 of the current licence that either replicate the law or are unenforceable.

·        It was suggested that the conditions be replaced by ones proposed; that CCTV be installed following advice from the Crime Reduction Officer; sufficient door staff be employed to deal with any likely contingency;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

The meeting closed at 10.58am.