The Business Partner (Litigation/Licensing)
welcomed all present to the Hearing and drew attention to the
procedure for the conduct of Sex Establishment Licensing Hearings
which was attached to the agenda.
The Chair then invited introductions from all
present.
The following parties were present at the
Hearing:
(a)
Applicant
i.
Mr Dean Adams, Director, Newmarket Entertainment Ltd, 109-111 High
Street, Newmarket
ii.
Mr Gokul Swami, Director, Newmarket
Entertainment Ltd, 109-111 High Street, Newmarket
(b)
Interested Parties
i.
Councillor Rachel Hood, Mayor of Newmarket Town Council
ii.
Councillor James Lay, Deputy Mayor of Newmarket Town Council
The Licensing Officer presented the report
which explained that an application had been received from
Newmarket Entertainment Ltd for the renewal of a Sex Establishment
Licence for the Sexual Entertainment Venue Heaven, 109-111 High
Street, Newmarket. The premises had
been trading since April 2006 and had held a Sexual Entertainment
Venue licence since 1 October 2012. A
copy of the application was attached at Appendix 1 of Report No
LSC/WS/19/004.
The application was to licence the premises
for use as a sexual entertainment venue during the following hours
(as per the current premises licence and with no proposed
changes):-
Monday to Wednesday: 10.00am to 02.00am
Thursday to Saturday: 10.00am to 03.20am
Sunday:
12.00pm to 03.00pm
The Officer explained that in addition to the
consideration of the renewal application, the Sub-Committee was
also requested to again consider the premises signage. The current and main external sign did not comply
with the Council’s standard conditions for sex
establishments; in that the sign was larger than
permitted. A dispensation had been
granted by (the now dissolved) Forest Heath District Council as
part of the licence’s renewal in previous years and the
applicant was again requesting this dispensation as part of the
application before the Sub-Committee.
Following advertisement of the application two
representations had been received from interested parties objecting
to the application, these were attached at Appendices 3 and
4.
The Sub-Committee then heard the individual
submissions from each of the parties present.
Dean Adams (applicant) advised the
Sub-Committee that he and his fellow Director taken ownership of
Heaven in February 2017, prior to which it had been successfully
operating since 2006. He was simply
seeking a renewal of the licence together with the dispensation for
the signage both as granted previously.
Councillor Rachel Hood, on behalf of Newmarket
Town Council, then addressed the meeting in relation to the Town
Council’s representation set out at Appendix 3.
(Councillor Hood
asked that it be formally recorded that she had spoken with the
Business Partner (Litigation/Licensing) prior to the meeting and
had raised concerns about making her presentation in front of
Sub-Committee Member Councillor Roger Dicker.)
Councillor Hood made reference to items (a)
– (g) as set out in Paragraph 6.3 of the Council’s Sex
Establishment Licensing Policy and asserted that the application
was in clear conflict with these.
Particular reference was made to the nearby
property at 113 High Street, Newmarket which was now in the
ownership of West Suffolk ...
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