Agenda and minutes

The Democratic and Civic Officer opened the meeting and asked for nominations for Chairman and it was

RESOLVED that Councillor Milne be elected Chairman of the Licensing Sub-Committee for this meeting.

Councillor Milne took the Chair for the remainder of the meeting and round the table introductions were made.

None.

Members may make any declarations of interest at this point but may also make them at any time during the course of the meeting.

Cllr Milne declared that she worked for Sir Edward Leigh MP; in that capacity she had spoken to Mr Singh as he had not heard about the hearing from West Lindsey District Council.  They did not discuss the case.

Please note the procedure to be taken by the committee.

The legal representative for West Lindsey District Council outlined the procedure to those present, as set out in the agenda pack.

Licence Number: N/A

Hearing Type: Application for the Grant of Premises Licence

Applicants: Mr Satnam Singh and Mrs Mandeep Kaur

Premises: “Morton Premier” 1 Crooked Billet Street, Morton, Lincolnshire DN21 3AG

Licence Number: n/a

Hearing Type: Grant of a Premises Licence

Premises: “Morton Premier” 1 Crooked Billet Street, Morton, Lincolnshire DN21 3AG

Applicants:  Mr Satnam Singh and Mrs Mandeep Kaur

The Licensing Manager outlined the case to those present, highlighting the following:

·         This was an application for a grant of a new premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003;

·         The premises was originally a Public House, and was originally granted a premises licence in 2005.  This was surrendered in 2018 when the premises closed;

·         A representation had been received from West Lindsey District Council’s (WLDCs) Environmental Protection team, who were concerned about the application on the grounds of Public Safety.

No other representations had been received;

·         Each application must be considered on its own merits, with each representation taken into account.  WLDC may only intervene when it was deemed appropriate; any conditions must be appropriate to the licensing objectives;

·         Conditions should not be imposed for an ulterior motive.  Any conditions must be proportionate, reasonable, and capable of being directly complied with by the licensee.

Following this introduction, the legal representative for the applicant outlined their position:

·         The shop was on the site of the old Crooked Billet Public House in Morton.  Traditionally, having been a Public House, it was a very large building and it had had accommodation located above the premises.

In 2018, the licence was surrendered and eventually the property was sold to Mr Singh – Mr Singh’s daughter in law was to be the designated premises supervisor;

·         Mr Singh had decided to purchase this property as a project for his family;

·         There was a convenience store underneath the residential property.  The family would assist in the running of the store; currently, the family travel to Morton from Sheffield;

·         There were some ongoing issues in relation to other regulatory bodies; there was no date set for a prosecution in these matters;

·         The representation from WLDC must be taken into account as a responsible authority.  The principal issue was Public Safety, but this impinged on the character of Mr Singh.  WLDC claimed to have strong reasons to believe that the property was to be operated as a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO);

·         The convenience store had been open since 12 July 2019.  It owned a Building Regulations Compliance certificate that had been issued by the Council-led scheme;

·         The upstairs accommodation was being converted, with the aim of putting 4 bedrooms in place.  The intention was for Mr Singh to move over and assist his son and daughter in law with the store.  The store would be open 7 days a week;

·         Premises Licence Holders had a responsibility to those using their premises.  However, nothing above the shop affected the transactional process.  The Public Safety Objective looked at the ability to buy alcohol in a relevant environment with appropriate conditions.  Granting a licence increased control over a premises;

·         This application was for off-sales only.  Should a premises licence have been granted, a number of conditions came into play,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.