Agenda and draft minutes

Having taken into account the Licensing Act 2003 and the guidance issued under Section 182 of the Act, the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy and also the fact that objections to the application have been received from other persons on the basis that to grant the application would undermine the licensing objectives relating to the prevention of public nuisance, public safety, the prevention of crime and disorder and the protection of children from harm.

The sub-committee have considered those licensing objectives in the light of what has been said and have listened to the arguments and have taken into account the agreement that has been reached between Staffordshire Police, Environmental Health and the applicant as to appropriate conditions that basically required the provision of management plans and procedures following the grant of the proposed licence, but before the commencement of the festival that could promote the licensing objectives.

The sub-committee took into account the extensive evidence before them and also the evidence given by the Police that despite the agreement, they still had a number of reservations.

The sub-committee also noted that the application itself was defective in that it failed to specify the term of the event or over what period it was proposed and were persuaded that there had been inadequate consultations with the residents regarding the proposals, which had resulted in a petition and some 100 written objections to the proposal.  It was however, accepted that the applicant had complied with the law in relation to notice provisions.  The residents of the surrounding area however, made persuasive arguments that to grant the licence would undermine the licensing objectives.

The sub-committee were advised that residents would suffer public nuisance mainly in the form of noise and light intrusion from music generators, revellers and floodlights in connection with the licensable activity and also from people and vehicles coming to and going from the festival.

The sub-committee did not feel that the conditions proposed by the applicant could be adequately enforced during the festival having received evidence of the noise nuisance at a similar venue in the area.

Public safety concerns included the serious risk posed by traffic coming to and going from the site using the A53 highway adjacent to the site, which was known to be the second most dangerous road in Staffordshire, which unlit in the vicinity of the site and had no pavement on the roadside closest to the site.  Evidence showed that traffic management issues would occur throughout the day.  It was not considered that conditions would be useful in this respect, and a traffic management policy would not solve the problem.

Concern was also expressed at the inadequacy of the entrance and exits to the site which posed danger and to the pedestrian traffic conflict on the A53, which had resulted in a number of accidents in the vicinity.  The road carried at present some 12,000 vehicles per day and the increase in traffic if the application were granted, as the Police agreed, would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.