Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr. Judy Kelly, with Cllr Carol Melvin substituting.

There were no declarations of interest notified.

The minutes of the meetings held on 2 April, 13 May and 5 June 2015 were agreed as a correct record.

It was confirmed that all items were Part I and would be heard in public.

An e-mail in support of the application being considered had been circulated to all parties on the day before the hearing (Wednesday 22 July). Following legal advice, the Committee took the decision not to admit the e-mail as evidence. This was due to the fact that the e-mail contained the name and e-mail address of the sender, but did not contain any other details that would allow its authenticity to be verified. The evidence had also not been provided within the required timeframe.

The applicant presented the Committee with some text and photos in support of his application. It was agreed to admit this information as evidence, with the applicant being advised by the Chairman that he would be able to present this during the meeting.

Stephanie Waterford, Licensing Officer, introduced the application for the renewal of a Street Trading Shop Front Licence for a six month period, in respect of Early Bird Food & Wine, 2 Joel Street, Northwood Hills, HA6 1PY. It was confirmed that the application was for the display of fruit and vegetables in a two metre space, between the hours of 6 am and 11 pm Monday to Sunday.

A consultation had been undertaken with Ward Members, the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Investigations Team and with the Highways Service. The ASB Investigations Team had visited the site and had provided a brief report of their findings, including photos of the premises. The Highways Service had also provided information in relation to the location of double yellow lines adjacent to the premises.

One objection to the application had been received from Cllr. John Morgan. This expressed concerns about the obstruction that the trading area could cause and about the appearance and volume of litter in the vicinity.

Representation made by the Applicant

The applicant's representative informed the Committee that the applicant's business had been trading since 2005. However, trading conditions had been tough, which had resulted in him diversifying and starting to sell fruit and vegetables in addition to the other products sold from the premises. The applicant found it difficult to unload deliveries due to him not having an allocated parking bay and the presence of yellow lines and zig-zags.

Representations made by other parties

None of the parties that had provided information for consideration by the Committee or that had made representations attended the hearing.

It was noted that Cllr Morgan was against renewal of the applicant's Street Trading Licence due to parking issues in the area. It was suggested that these were partly caused by the applicant. In addition, the general cleanliness of the trading area was a concern. Cllr Morgan had sent e-mails to Council officers outside the Licensing Service. However, this correspondence had not been included with the objection in relation to the application and therefore, could not be considered by the Committee.

The Anti-Social Behaviour Investigations Team had visited the premises and noted that there had been a car parked on double yellow lines. The area in front of the shop had been untidy, including a pile of empty crates, rubbish in the trading area and rubbish in a neighbouring alleyway. The Licensing Service had not visited the premises in relation to the application, but had tasked the Antisocial Behaviour Investigations Team to visit the area and provide a report with photos detailing their findings.

The Council's Highway Service had advised in their submitted evidence in relation to the legality of parking at the site and the location of yellow lines and zig-zags. It was not considered that the two metre depth of footway trading space that the applicant had applied for would cause access problems for pedestrians as the footway was approximately six metres wide at that point.

Discussion

The Chairman confirmed that the Committee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.