Representations

Chief Officer of Police Representation in relation to an  application for grant of premises licence made under Part 3 Section 17 Licensing Act 2003 (S18 Licensing Act 2003)

 

Details of person making representation

Name of Chief Officer of Police

Chief Inspector Mark MCLELLAN  

Postal Address:

(Area Headquarters)

 

 

Maidstone Police Station

Palace Avenue

Maidstone

ME15 6NF

E-mail address

 

Telephone Number:

 

 

Details of premises representation is about

Name of Premises:

Blue Reef Music Venue

Address of premises:

Loddington Farm

Unit 5

Lodding Lane

Maidstone

ME17 4AG

Date application received by police

28.06.2024

Date representation sent to Licensing Authority

23.07.2024

Must be within 28 days of receipt –

The Licensing Act 2003 (Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates) Regulations 2005. Part 4 Reg. 22.

 

The Chief Officer of Police has received an application for the grant of a premises licence made under the provisions of Section 17 Licensing Act 2003, and under Section 18 of that Act, asks the Licensing Authority to consider these representations in respect of: -

Please tick one or more of the licensing objectives that the representation relates to:

Prevention of crime and disorder

X

Public Safety

X

Prevention of public nuisance

X

Protection of children from harm

X

 

Is this a representation regarding the Designation of Premises Supervisor under S18 (9) Licensing Act 2003?                                    NO

If yes, complete the following statement: -

The relevant representation within the meaning of S.18(6) of the Licensing Act satisfy the requirements of S.18(9) of that Act and are as follows

 

 

 

Please use separate sheets where necessary

 

The relevant representations within the meaning of S.18(6) of the Licensing Act satisfy the requirements of S.18(7) of that Act and are as follows:

 

Please give the reason for the representation and detail the evidence supporting it:

Kent Police make these representations in respect of a new license application for “Blue Reef Music Venue” which is going to be located Loddington Farm, Unit 5, Lodding Lane, Maidstone, ME17 4AG.

 

The application is for a licence for the venue to hold outdoor live music evenings at the location with an anticipated audience of up to 300 people, the applicant has indicated that this will not be open every day but a few times a month. The applicant has indicated the venue will only be open when music is being played and will not trade on a day-to-day basis. It should be noted that the premises has operated under Temporary Event Notices on an ad-hoc basis since 2021 and there have been no issues with crime and disorder. Whilst this is the case if the venue is to be more widely advertised and used on a more frequent basis then there is the possibility for this to change and therefore it must be managed suitably to prevent disruption to the local community by its endeavours

 

The requested hours for supply of alcohol and Live/recorded music will be 15:00hrs to 23:00hrs Monday to Sunday.

 

As with any premises licence granted to allow the sale of alcohol there are concerns with regards to any negative impact it may have on the community. The location of the venue is reasonably remote which may lead to increased traffic in the area and could lead to noise issues from patrons increasing the likelihood of the local area and community being negatively impacted.

 

Kent Police believes that every licence should be robust enough to protect the community as well as patrons and staff of the premises. The risk of impact is reduced due to the location of the premises however it is still possible that the venue will be of interest to young people due to the provision of alcohol & music which in turn could lead to a rise in anti-social behaviour in the area which would have an obvious detrimental effect on the local residents and wider community. There will also need to be measures in place to ensure that staff are aware of the necessity to protect children and prevent the sale, or provision by others, of alcohol to those under 18 years of age. This should be achieved by good training and the operation of the industry standard “Challenge 25” procedures.

 

Please use separate sheets where necessary

 

Suggested conditions that could be added to the licence to remedy the representation or other suggestions the Licensing Sub Committee may take into account:

Please use separate sheets where necessary

 

1.       CCTV will be provided in the form of a recordable system, capable of providing pictures of evidential quality in all lighting conditions particularly facial recognition. 

a.       Cameras shall encompass all ingress & egress points, and include all areas to which the public have access including all areas where alcohol is displayed.

b.       The CCTV shall be recording at all times that the premises are open to the public. 

c.       Equipment must be maintained in good working order, be correctly time and date stamped, recordings MUST be kept on the hard drive and kept for a period of 31 days and handed to Police or Local Authority upon reasonable request. 

d.       The Premises Licence Holder must ensure at all times that the DPS, or appointed member of staff, is capable and competent at downloading CCTV footage in a recordable format to the Police and Local Authority. 

e. CCTV images will be provided to the police and other responsible authorities as soon as practicable and in any case within 48 hours of a request for such images, subject of the provisions of the DPA. 

 

2.       A logbook – in either electronic or handwritten format - shall be kept detailing all incidents that involve any allegation of trouble involving members of the public that occur or complaints received due to activities at the premises. This will be a bound book if handwritten and will detail the following:

a. The day, date and time of the incident or complaint

b.  The member of staff making the entry

c.  All members of staff involved in the incident

d.  An account of the incident or complaint

e. Details of any persons injured, and the injuries sustained

f.  Any other details thought relevant. 

 

3.       All persons that sell or supply alcohol to customers must have licensing training.

a.       Training should take place within six weeks of employment and any new employees will be supervised until the training has taken place.  

b.       Refresher training should be repeated a minimum of every six months or earlier if required due to changes of legislation.  

c.       Training records must be kept on the premises - in either electronic or handwritten format - and shall contain the nature, content and frequency of all training. 

d.       Records must be made available for inspection by Police, Police Licensing Officer and authorised officers from the Local Authority upon request either electronically or hard copy.

 

4.       The premises will undertake the “Challenge 25” Scheme. Appropriate signage will be displayed informing customers that “Challenge 25” is in operation. 

 

5.       All staff involved in the sale or supply of alcohol will be trained in the “Challenge 25” Scheme and such training will be recorded - in either electronic or handwritten format. 

 

6.       The only forms of identification that will be accepted will bear their photograph, date of birth and a holographic mark and/or ultraviolet feature. Examples of appropriate identification include a passport, photocard driving licence, military ID, and Home Office approved proof of age ID card bearing the PASS hologram.  

 

7.       A refusal register - in either electronic or handwritten format - will be in operation at the premises. All staff involved in the sale of alcohol will be fully trained in the system and it will record the following:

a.       Item refused. 

b.       Name, or description, of the person refused. 

c.       Reason for refusal.

d.       Name of staff member making refusal. 

 

8.       The register will be available for inspection to any Police Officer, Local Authority Licensing Officer or Trading Standards Officer at any reasonable time.

 

 

Signed: James WILLIAMS                                    Date: 23/07/2024

Print name:  James WILLIAMS                           Force Number:

Pp Chief Officer of Police for the Police Area in which the licensed premises are situated.

 

Representation may be made at any time during the 28 consecutive days starting on the day after the day on which the application to which it relates was given to the authority by the applicant.

Please return this form along with any additional sheets to the Licensing Authority.

This form must be returned within the Statutory Period.