Agenda item

Members were presented with the Statement of Licensing Policy 2016 following its quinquennial review.

The Committee were informed that under the Licensing Act 2003, the Council were required to produce and review the Policy, and the Licensing Policy before them, was now the fourth Statement of Licensing Policy produced by the Council. Members noted that the Policy was 5 years since it had been revised, and the Business Safety Manager aimed to provide an overview of the key points.

 Formal consultation had been undertaken over a period of time, and this was summarised in Appendix B attached to the report. A number of responses received as a result of the consultation were significant, and these were brought to the attention of the Committee.

South Yorkshire Police had responded with regard to the CIZ currently in place within Doncaster Town centre and requested that this be continued, with the addition of additional areas including Market Place and Cleveland Street. This CIZ had currently been in place for 8 years and had proven to have a positive impact on crime relating to alcohol and antisocial behaviour in this area. At the present time, this CIZ only applied to bars but there was the suggestion that this may be better applied to all licensed premises.  Members were in support of this proposal, and certainly felt it wasn’t appropriate to remove the CIZ at the current time.

A discussion followed with regard to the proposal to create a new Cumulative Impact Zone in an area of Wheatley, around the Nether Hall Road area. There were high statistics of alcohol related crimes in this area which linked to the point that outside the Town Centre, this area had the highest density of off licences. By creating this Zone, it was therefore hoped that it would help to work towards addressing this problem.

A consultation response had been received from Bawtry Town Council with regard to a request for a Cumulative Impact Zone in the town centre. The Chair invited Mr David Kirkham, a representative from Bawtry Town Council, to speak at the meeting in support of this request, and outlined their reasons behind this. Mr Kirkham commented to the Committee that whilst crime and disorder wasn’t a problem at the present time, there was the fear that it could be in the near future. There were a lot of licensed establishments in the centre of Bawtry which on Friday and Saturday nights brought a lot of people into the town, causing noise and disturbance and increasing concerns. Whilst there was a marshalling system in place, there was no control over people’s behaviour once they were out of the establishments and the risk of the town deteriorating was a worry. At the present time, there was a good mix of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants and the local residents and Town Council wanted it to stay that way, and pointed out the risks if the area became predominantly roads full of bars. The Committee acknowledged the points put forward by Mr Kirkham, and felt that although the problems with alcohol related crime and disturbance weren’t on a large scale at the moment, this was not to say that this may not be the case in the future, and therefore they felt that this would be a good move forward as a preventative measure to ensure that the area retained its character and appeal. Members debated this issue for a length of time in order to ensure they had looked at all aspects of this, and felt that it was the most appropriate move to safeguard Bawtry at the present time. However, as this was a newly proposed zone, they felt it would be appropriate to review this after a period of time in order to assess its effect.

Members had a thorough debate and ensured that all issues relating to the Licensing Policy were covered and the Committee were happy to recommend this to Cabinet and Council for approval before January, 2016.

RESOLVED that the Licensing Committee recommend the Statement of Licensing Policy 2016 – (Licensing Act 2003) be adopted by Full Council with the inclusion of the following points:-

                              i.        Agree to the continuation of the Cumulative Impact Zone in Doncaster Town Centre, with the inclusion of additional areas of Market Place and Cleveland Street for all premises licensed to carry on any licensable activity, including the sale of alcohol for consumption on or off the premises, and the provision of late night refreshment;

                            ii.        Support the implementation of a new Cumulative Impact Zone for all premises licensed to carry on any licensable activity, including the sale of alcohol for consumption on or off the premises, and the provision of late night refreshment in a specified area of the Wheatley Ward to include Netherhall Road, Copley Road, Christ Church Road, Broxholme Lane and Highfield Road.

                            iii.        Support the implementation of a new Cumulative Impact Zone in Bawtry for all for all premises licensed to carry on any licensable activity, including the sale of alcohol for consumption on or off the premises, and the provision of late night refreshment in the areas of Market Place, High Street, Swan Street, Church Street, Scot Lane, Wharf Street and Grasswood Lane/Dower House Square with the intention to review the implementation of this in 2 years.