Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED: That Councillor Robyn Norfolk be appointed Chair.

COUNCILLOR NORFOLK IN THE CHAIR

None.

To consider and determine an application for grant of a premises licence in respect of Piston Distillery Limited, Danks 2, 62 Diglis Road, Worcester WR5 3BW.

The Sub-Committee considered an application for a Premises Licence in respect of Piston Gin (‘the Premises’), Danks 2, 62 Diglis Road, Worcester WR5 3BW.

At the start of the meeting, the Chair made the following statement:

“Presentations to the Sub-Committee are not given under oath. However, I would like to remind all parties that the highest standards are expected and any deviation from these high standards could possibly influence any decision of the Sub-Committee.”

All parties at the hearing were introduced. The Applicant was represented by a barrister, Mr Duncan Craig. Mr Craig confirmed he was satisfied with the proposed procedure on the Applicant’s behalf. Also in attendance for the Applicant were Ms Grace Stringer, General Manager, and Mr Nick Weatherall, Company Founder.

The Technical Officer – Licensing presented the report on behalf of Worcestershire Regulatory Services. The Technical Officer – Licensing noted that no representations had been received from responsible authorities regarding the application, however 9 objections had been received from the general public, and 17 representations of support for the application had also been received.

The application as made sought authorisation for the following licensable activities:

During the consultation period the applicant contacted Worcestershire Regulatory Services to advise that after meeting with local residents they wished to amend the hours they wanted the licence to authorise to:

All parties were offered the opportunity to ask questions of the Senior Practitioner – Licensing. The Applicant’s solicitor was then invited to make representations on behalf of the Applicant.

The Applicant’s solicitor, Mr Craig, confirmed that the Applicant’s business was primarily a Gin School, which would also host occasional events. He noted that no objections had been received from any responsible authority. The Applicant’s business was situated close to residential property and they were aware of the need to show consideration for their neighbours in the operation of their business. A number of events had been hosted at the premises in advance of the Sub-Committee hearing, under the Temporary Events Notice regime, and no objections had been received from any of the Responsible Authorities.

Mr Craig stressed that the Applicant was a responsible business owner who would comply with all regulations and conditions in order to align with the Council’s licensing objectives.

One of the objections raised referred to the licence application as being a means for the Applicant to have live and recorded background music at the Premises. Mr Craig clarified that live and recorded background music were already permitted in the absence of a licence, as a matter of law.  

Mr Craig referred to concerns raised regarding the location of the Premises  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.