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Lewes and Eastbourne
Councils

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Court Room at Eastbourne Town Hall, Grove Road, BN21 4UG

Contact: Committee Services on 01323 410000 

Items
No. Item

1.

Election of Chair.

Minutes:

It was proposed by Councillor Hearn and seconded by Councillor Robinson that Councillor Tester be elected Chair for this General Licensing Sub Committee.

 

2.

Apologies for absence.

Minutes:

There were none.

 

3.

Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) by members as
required under Section 31 of the Localism Act and of other interests as
required by the Code of Conduct.

Minutes:

There were none.

 

4.

Application for a Sexual Entertainment Licence - premises above Embassy Nightclub, 2A-2B Pevensey Rd, Eastbourne BN21 3HJ. pdf icon PDF 58 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

All parties present introduced themselves and the Chairman detailed the procedure to be followed at the meeting.

 

The Specialist Advisor for Licensing outlined the report detailing the application for a Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) Licence by F Forte Developments Ltd at Above Embassy, 2a-2b Pevensey Road, Eastbourne, BN21 3HJ. The applicant applied for a licence for the performance of exotic dance on Monday to Saturday between 22.00hrs and 4.00hrs and on Sunday between 22.00hrs and 3.00hrs.

 

In discharging its functions the Sub Committee considered the relevant legislation, the relevant Home Office guidance, the Council’s Sex Establishment and Encounter Policy, and the rules of natural justice.

 

The Sub Committee were asked to exercise its discretion to consider whether a late objection, received on 9 July 2018 from Mrs Medway, would be accepted. The Sub Committee decided that the third bullet point on her objection letter would be accepted, since that was substantially the same point (about the suitability of the location) as the objection received from Mr Ley, but that they would not consider the remainder of her objections.

 

Mr Ley, representing the Town Centre Neighbourhood Panel, addressed the Sub-Committee. His representation focussed on the location of the premises to which the application relates. Mr Ley stated that the proposed venue was not in a suitable location given the high volume of traffic and pedestrian crossing etc.  The premises would be highly visible and in the proximity of the main retail and tourist accommodation area.  There were a number of residential units in the area housing vulnerable and young adults and families with children.  The venue would impact on the regeneration on an area of high deprivation. Mr Ley raised concerns regarding incidents outside of the premises, and felt that crime and disorder would increase as a result of the granting of an SEV licence.  He also stated that there would be an increase in noise and disturbance.

 

The Sub Committee noted that Sussex Police had mediated a number of conditions with the applicant, which were outlined at Appendix 4, and the agreed conditions were clarified with the Police and a Council Officer prior to the hearing and at the hearing.

 

The Sub Committee considered the application and the verbal representations made by the applicant’s representative Mr Rankinat the hearing.  Mr Rankin stated that the premises would have a positive impact upon tourism in the area and it would operate between 10pm and 4am six nights a week. This would not impact on the nearby retail area as many of the shops would be closed before the venue would be open.  There would also be no full nudity, with a ‘tops off only’ policy.  There would be no private booths, with CCTV throughout the premises with strict controls on ID scanning equipment, with very discrete advertising with discrete signage. It was contended that the grant of the licence would have no adverse impact on local people.  Mr Rankin stated that in similar venues patrons preferred to spend money on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.