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In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, no interests were declared.
The Lead Lawyer referred to the Statutory Licensing Sub Committee Procedure, for information.
The Chair welcomed all attendees and requested that all present introduced themselves. The Licensing Officer reported on the application for a new Premises Licence in respect of Kings Local, 2-3 King Edward Road, Swansea, SA1 4LH which had been received by the Authority on 7 January 2026. The property is situated on King Edward Road and is the last premises in a row of commercial premises situated within a residential area. The application proposed: Supply of Alcohol Monday – Sunday 0600 – 0200 Specific reference was made to the application for a premises licence at Appendix A. The plan was detailed at Appendix A1. The location plan and licensed premises within the area was attached at Appendix B and B1. The Licensing Officer referred to the licensing objectives, policy considerations, the guidance from the Home Office and consideration of the Responsible Authority’s and Other Persons Representations. Conditions which were consistent with the operating schedule and would be attached to the licence, if granted, were attached at Appendix C. Relevant Representations were detailed at Appendix D and D1. Representations had been received from 6 other persons. The Operational Lead, Licensing, stated that there was a typographical error on page 3 regarding alcohol sales, which were for off sales only. PC Nicola Evans, SWP expanded upon the written representations concerning the potential undermining of the Licensing Objectives in relation to Prevention of Crime and Disorder, Public Safety, Prevention of Public Nuisance and Protection of Children from Harm. The Committee noted the premises proposed late opening hours until 2:00 am in a densely populated residential area. Residents were concerned that this could increase anti-social behaviour, noise and disturbances, especially with youths and individuals seeking alcohol after other local stores close at 2300 hours. She emphasised the responsibility of the Applicant to meet the four licensing objectives under the Licensing Act 2003 and suggested a closing time of 2300 hours, banning single-can sales of high-strength alcohol (6.5 abv & above) and requiring a personal licence holder to be present during alcohol sales. The Committee heard that these measures were presented as reasonable precautions to safeguard the community. In response to Member questions, the Police Officer stated that: 1. There were no Police concerns regarding the intended opening time of 0600 hours as it was determined that there would be less of a noise pollution at that time in the morning. 2. Convenience stores in the area close by 2300, unlike St. Helen's Road where shops are open 24 hours. Mr Jonathan Cox, Other Person and Owner of Truffles Restaurant, further amplified his written representations in relation to the undermining of the Licensing Objectives. He detailed his objections stating that the Licence would undermine the Licensing Objectives in relation to Prevention of Crime and Disorder, Prevention of Public Nuisance and Protection of Children from Harm. He stated that the main concerns focussed on littering, lack of CCTV on King Edward Road and the potential anti-social behaviour if a licence were to be granted. The Committee noted the measures taken by Truffles restaurant to ensure patrons are well-behaved and leave promptly. There was a worry that late-night congregation could discourage customers and disturb residents, especially given a recent alcohol-related death nearby. Ms K Hill, Other Person and Owner of the Shoe Café, further amplified her written representations in relation to the undermining of the Licensing Objections. She stated that her concerns mirrored those expressed by South Wales Police and Mr Cox. She detailed the concerns from local residents, referencing previous incidents nearby and emphasising that the issue was not with having a shop, but with the late opening hours. Mr S Kanavati, Arka Licensing, speaking on behalf of the Applicant, stated that having heard the objections from the police, the public and local businesses, the Applicant was willing to amend the closing time of the premises to 2300. The Committee heard that the premises had been vacant for some time and are located in a mixed commercial and residential area where other businesses operate late. The Applicant had experience managing similar venues and had proposed comprehensive conditions to promote the four licensing objectives. The main concerns raised related to potential public nuisance, however, there had been no objections from authorities other than the police. The Applicant was committed to keeping the area clean and addressing concerns regarding litter and congregation. Whilst accepting one of the police’s suggested extra conditions, the Applicant argued that requiring a personal licence holder on duty at all times was unnecessary, given their robust staff training procedures. Overall, the Applicant had demonstrated willingness to compromise and engage with community concerns. In response to a Member question, the Applicant’s Representative confirmed agreement in respect of: 1. the premises closing at 2300 hours. 2. no single cans being sold with an ABV of 6.5 and over. 3. CCTV coverage at the front of the premises. 4. Litter bins being provided at the front of the premises. 5. Consideration of the type of signage and any light emitting from the signage. The Chair thanked the participants for their attendance. It was resolved that the press and public be excluded from the hearing in accordance with paragraph 14 of the Licensing Act (Hearings) Regulations 2005, to enable the Sub-Committee to take legal advice. (Closed Session) Members discussed the issues relating to the application. (Open Session) The Chair indicated that the Sub-Committee had considered the application, and all representations made and the needs and interests of all parties in terms of the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy, Statutory Guidance, and the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003. The Sub-Committee Resolved to Grant the application for a premises licence subject to the conditions consistent with the modified operating schedule and as considered appropriate for the promotion of the licensing objectives as below: Supply of Alcohol Monday – Sunday 0600 – 2300 Conditions consistent with Operating Schedule 1. The Licensee shall keep a written record of all staff authorised to sell alcohol. The staff record shall be kept on the licensed premises and made available for inspection by the Licensing Officer, Trading Standards or the Police, on request. 2. The Licensee shall ensure that each member of staff authorised to sell alcohol has received appropriate training on the law with regard to age-restricted products, proxy sales, and the licensable hours and conditions attached to the licence, including refresher training every six months, and that this is properly documented and training records kept. The training record (either written or electronic) shall be kept on the licensed premises and made available for inspection by the Licensing Officer, Trading Standards or the Police, on request. 3. The Licensee shall ensure that each member of staff authorised to sell alcohol is fully aware of his /her responsibilities in relation to verifying a customer's age and is able to effectively question purchasers and check evidence of proof of age. 4. The Licensee shall ensure that each member of staff authorised to sell alcohol is sufficiently capable and confident to confront and challenge under 25’s attempting to purchase alcohol. 5. CCTV will be provided in the form of a recordable system (internally and externally), capable of providing pictures of evidential quality in all lighting conditions. 6. Cameras shall encompass all ingress and egress to the premises; directly outside the premises; fire exits and all areas where the sale and supply of alcohol take place. 7. 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 upon request. 8. The premises licence holder must ensure at all times a DPS or appointed member of staff is capable and competent at downloading CCTV footage in a recordable format to the Police and Local Authority upon request. 9. An Incident log shall be kept at the premises, and made available on request to a police officer, police licensing officer or council authorised licensing officer. It must be completed within 24 hours of the incident and will record the following: All crimes reported at the venue. All ejections of patrons Any complaints received concerning crime and disorder. Any incident of disorder All seizure of drugs or offensive weapons Any faults in the CCTV system, searching equipment or scanning equipment. Any refusal of the sale of alcohol Any visit by a relevant authority or emergency service Each entry is to be checked and signed by the DPS/Licensee no later than 1 week after the entry has been made. The register must be made available to Police, Police Licensing Officers and authorised officers from the Local Authority either electronically or hard copy 10. The Licensee shall ensure that appropriate fire safety procedures are in place. 11. The Licensee shall ensure that all fire escapes/escape routes will be clearly marked and kept free from obstructions at all times. 12. Notices shall be prominently displayed at all exits requesting customers to respect the needs of local residents and businesses and leave the area quietly. 13. The licensee shall keep a register of refused sales of all age-restricted products. 14. The refusals book shall contain details of time and date, description of the attempting purchaser, description of the age-restricted products they attempted to purchase, reason why the sale was refused and the name/signature of the sales person refusing the sale. 15. The Refusals Book shall be kept on the licensed premises and made available for inspection by the Licensing Officer, Trading Standards or the Police, on request. 16. The Licensee shall prominently display notices advising customers of the "Challenge 25" policy. 17. Only accept photographic driving licence, passports or PASS (proof of age standards scheme) cars approved as means of ID. If you accept other forms of ID such as EU national ID cards, these must bear a photograph, DOB, and holographic mark. 18. Use till prompts to remind staff to ask for proof of age. 19. No alcohol to be sold via a single can sale with an alcohol ABV over 6.5%. 20. Sufficient litter bins shall be provided at or near exits for customer use. 21. The licence holder shall ensure that the area immediately outside the premises is kept clean and free from litter at all times when the premises is open and for a reasonable period after closing. 22. Clear and legible notices shall be prominently displayed at the premises requesting customers not to loiter or congregate outside or in the immediate vicinity of the premises Reason for Decision The Committee noted the property was situated on King Edward Road and was the last premises in a row of commercial premises situated within a residential area. The Committee noted one representation had been received from South Wales Police. The Committee noted Representations had been received from 6 other persons. 2 Other person who made representations, amplified their written representations in relation to the undermining of the Licensing Objectives. They detailed their objections stating that the premises would undermine the Licensing Objectives in relation to the Prevention of Crime & Disorder, Public Safety, the Prevention of Public Nuisance, and the Protection of Children from Harm. In response to Member questions, the Applicant and Applicant’s representative confirmed that they would be content for the hours of business to be modified, consistent with other local establishments. In conclusion, the Applicant’s Representative emphasised the robust measures proposed would uphold the four Licensing Objectives. He expressed confidence in the conditions outlined in the operating schedule and noted that any breach could result in revocation of the licence. In conclusion, the Committee were satisfied that the Applicants reasoning and justification for the for the application were significant and sufficient enough to alleviate the representations from local residents to sufficiently promote the licensing objectives to agree a grant of the application with the modified condition offered.
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