Agenda item

The Licensing Committee refused the request by Grantchester Parish Council for the street of Broadway in Grantchester, to be designated a Consent Street under The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. Members agreed the reasons for refusal were:

·         The committee took account of the representations made both in favour and against designation of Broadway as a Consent Street.

·         The committee considered that the public consultation had not demonstrated overriding reasons to support the Parish Council’s request.

·         No responsible authority had objected to pop-up food vans trading on Broadway.

·         The Committee took account of the representation made by the publican of the Blue Ball Inn, which stated that as the pub had a kitchen their intention was not to have a monthly pop-up food van and suggested that this may instead occur once every couple of months. The Committee also noted that it was indicated in the representation, that the last pop-up van on Broadway had been some time ago.

The committee considered the request by Grantchester Parish Council for Broadway in Grantchester, to be designated a Consent Street. This was so that trading could be controlled on the street. A Licensing Sub-Committee held on 3 July 2017 had agreed the outline request from the Parish Council, to consult on the matter. Following the consultation the Licensing Committee was being asked to make a final decision on this matter.

The Licensing Committee requested to see the original letter from the Parish Council, which set out their request for designation of the street. This was provided to the committee members during the meeting.

The committee considered the report and the following points were discussed:

·         Members noted that pop-up food vans were occasionally used by the Blue Ball pub on Broadway and that the pub was doing well. Reluctance to impose anything which may hinder the activities of the pub, was expressed. It was felt that designating Broadway could impact the pub and undermine its viability.

·         Members discussed whether, rather than making a formal decision either way, a watching brief should be kept on the situation for a year.

·         Members considered the written responses to the public consultation, noting that equal numbers had objected to the street being designated, as had supported the proposal. Taking this into account, members felt a change should not be imposed.

·         Myles Bebbington, Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing informed members that street traders had to apply to trade on a Consent Street. Until their application was considered, a street trader could continue trading on that street. Where a street trader parked and the times they could trade on the street, were examples of what could be controlled on a Consent Street. A street trader’s licence would be valid for one year on a Consent Street.

·         Members discussed the location of A- boards on Broadway, as pictured in the appendix to the report. They were informed by the Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing that a Licensing Officer had visited the site and found that the A-boards related to the activities of the pub and not to the pop-up street trading food van. The committee was therefore advised to disregard these photographs.

·         Some members felt that designation of the street would not achieve change, but would incur a cost to the Council. Members were informed of the potential costs to the Council if the street was designated, which included two adverts being required at a cost of £277 per advert.

·         Councillor Murfitt referred to the concerns of the parish council, which had been raised at the Licensing Sub-Committee which had taken place in July 2017. She informed the committee that one of their concerns had been of safety due to the pop-up food van parking on Broadway, which was a narrow road. She informed the committee that other concerns had been of food odours from the van and noise from a generator. The Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing advised the committee that since that sub-committee had taken place, it had become apparent that the pop-up food van had not visited Broadway for a considerable amount of time.

·         The Chairman drew the committee’s attention to the correspondence from the publican of the Blue Ball pub in the appendix to the report. This suggested that as the pub now had a kitchen, it was not his intention to have a pop up food van more frequently than every other month. Members noted that at the time the van was outside the pub frequently, the pub was having its kitchen refurbished.

Councillor Roberts moved for no action to be taken, with the majority of members voting in favour of this and 1 member abstaining.

The Licensing Committee therefore refused the request by Grantchester Parish Council for the street of Broadway in Grantchester, to be designated a Consent Street under The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. Members agreed the reasons for refusal were:

·         The committee took account of the representations made both in favour and against designation of Broadway as a Consent Street.

·         The committee considered that the public consultation had not demonstrated overriding reasons to support the Parish Council’s request.

·         No responsible authority had objected to pop-up food vans trading on Broadway.

·         The Committee took account of the representation made by the publican of the Blue Ball Inn, which stated that as the pub had a kitchen their intention was not to have a monthly pop-up food van and suggested that this may instead occur once every couple of months. The Committee also noted that it was indicated in the representation, that the last pop-up van on Broadway had been some time ago.