• Agenda

Minutes of Meeting of the Highland Licensing Board Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Area Held in Lairg Community Centre on 6th November, 2007

 

 

Present:

 

Mr. Alasdair Rhind, Chairman

Mrs. Linda Munro       

Mr. John Rosie

Mrs. Maxine Smith

 

In Attendance:

 

Mrs Fiona Sinclair, Depute Clerk to the Licensing Board

Police Superintendent Ian Arnott, Northern Constabulary

Inspector Chisholm, Northern Constabulary

 

1.  Apologies for Absence

 

Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr D Flear, Mrs K MacNab and Mrs D Mackay.  

 

2.  Draft Statement of Liquor Licensing Policy

 

There had been circulated for consideration a copy of report detailing the consultation responses to the draft statement of liquor licensing policy approved by the Board at its meeting in Dingwall on 5th June. 

 

Mrs Sinclair explained that the Licensing (Scotland) Act 200t imposes a duty on licensing boards to publish a statement of its policy before 1st December 2007.  The Highland Board had met together on 5th June 2007 and had agreed a draft policy setting out how the Board will exercise its functions under the Act.   Since then the policy has been subject to consultation, including public consultation.  A list of the bodies consulted and a summary of the responses is appended to the report.  Superintendent Arnott is present before the Board.  Ramsay McGhee of the Highland Licensed Trade Association had been invited to attend and had been unable so to do because of a prior engagement.  However, Mr McGhee had sent a letter making comments on the draft and copies of the letter were circulated to the Board members. 

 

Superintendent Arnott explained that he was the Divisional Officer of Northern Constabulary for the whole of the Board area apart from the Cromarty Firth Ward, and that today he was representing Superintendent Darcy, the Constabulary’s Area Officer for that Ward.  He welcomed the fundamental principles of the policy and expressed concern regarding the late opening hours indicating that these were more appropriate for the city.  He noted that the nightclubs in the Board area have regular extensions until 2 am on a Friday evening and 1.30 am on a Saturday evening in terms of the Board’s existing policies, and that the draft policy indicated a 3 am closure for nightclubs and submitted that at the very latest a 2 am Friday evening  closure and a 1.30 am Saturday evening closure for nightclubs would be more appropriate in the rural towns and villages of the Board area and that 1 am would be sufficiently late for other premises, citing the detrimental effect on personal safety, public disorder and the likelihood of crime, restricted availability of public transport as his reasons.  He submitted that there may be occasions when later hours would be appropriate, and suggested that applications be considered on a case by case basis.  He recommended that the curfew of 12 midnight be imposed on premises with the late opening hours.  While he supported the proposal in the policy for polycarbonate glasses, he suggested that it should be a condition of the licences that no bottles be dispensed in these premises.  He suggested that the policy should refer to the Private Security Act 2001 in relation to the Pubwatch and Doorsafe schemes.  He also suggested that there should be a requirement that drinking in outside areas should terminate at 9 pm.

 

The Board considered Mr McGhee’s letter.

 

After discussion, the Board agreed to adopt the draft policy subject to the following amendments for the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross area:

1.  Late opening until 2 am the following day on a Friday evening and 1.30 am
     the following day on a Saturday evening be the latest hours for nightclub
     type premises allowed in terms of the new policy.

2.  The Board support the use of polycarbonate glasses for late opening
     premises subject to a condition that no bottles be dispensed on these
     premises

3.  The curfew be 12 midnight rather than 1 am as stated in the draft policy

4.  Licences for premises where there are outdoor drinking areas will include
     conditions to ensure that outdoor drinking terminates at 9 pm.            

 

 

3.  Application for Unlicensed Family Entertainment Centre Gaming Machine Permit

 

The Board agreed to grant an application which had been received to convert an existing Section 34 Permit to an Unlicensed Family Entertainment Centre Gaming Machine Permit for Grannies Heilan Hame, Embo.

 

 

4.  Gambling Act 2005 – Betting Office Premises Licences – Fast Track Transitional Conversion Applications

 

The Board agreed to grant fast track applications for transitional conversions for Betting Offices which had been received for:-