Issue - meetings

Report of Service Manager for Licensing seeking approval of the Cumulative Impact Assessment review.

The Committee considered the report of Service Manager Licensing seeking a decision to adopt the Cumulative Impact Assessment as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report and the maps in Appendix 2 of the report and for them to replace the assessment of stress areas in Section 6 of the current Statement of Licensing Policy.

In attendance was Phil Bates, Service Manager Licensing, who, with consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

RESOLVED: To support the adoption of the Cumulative Impact Assessment as detailed in the report to replace the current assessment in Section 6 of the Statement of Licensing Policy, as amended to rename the Bevois Valley stress area to Bevois Valley/Charlotte Place.

The Committee noted that the size of the stress area around Bevois Valley would increase to include Charlotte Place and that Service Manager Licensing had accepted its recommendation that the stress area should be renamed Bevois Valley/Charlotte Place to accurately describe the larger area covered as shown in the map and locations of reported incidents.

The Committee noted that there were a reduced number of incidents in Bevois Valley which had been reported to the police but that the Community Cohesion Team had recorded incidents of violence against women and girls. 

The Committee noted that an additional stress area was being created in Oxford Street because of the increasing number of incidents of crime and disorder being reported to the police and a change of character in the area away from food lead venues towards more music and alcohol lead venues with later closing times in a short street with a relatively high density of licensed venues.

The Committee noted that two existing stress areas in London Road/Bedford Place and Above Bar would remain unaltered.

The Committee noted that a comprehensive consultation had taken place.

The Committee noted that the Cumulative Impact Policy provided a useful licensing tool and had a positive impact.