Agenda item

Pimlico Academy, Lupus Street, London SW1V 3AT  (“the Premises”)

19/13222/LITENN

Proposed licensable activities: Regulated Entertainment.

Times during the proposed event period when it is proposed to carry on licensable activities: 00:01 on 1^st January 2020 to 01:30 on 1^st January 2020.

Decision (including reasons if different from those set out in report):

The Sub-Committee considered an application for a Temporary Event Notice for a vintage swing dance for 150 attendees (plus staff) from 00:01 on 31 December 2019 until 01:30 on 1 January 2020. The event was for a mature group of dance enthusiasts who wished to celebrate the New Year, and would take place in the basement auditorium at Pimlico Academy which was hired out when the school was not in use. The venue had an electrically operated inner door in the reception area that was controlled by the front-of-house staff. There would be a DJ playing music from the 1930’s to 1940’s, plus a small live band that was mainly acoustic. The Sub-Committee was informed that the Applicant had recently been served with a Section 80 Noise Abatement Notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 following an event where statutory noise nuisance had been witnessed. No conditions or undertakings had been offered to address the licensing objectives.

The Sub-Committee heard from Dave Nevitt (Environmental Health) who had objected on the grounds of the prevention of public nuisance. It was stated that the Section 80 Abatement Notice had led to the current Application to be more closely scrutinised, and   Environmental Health suggested a number of undertakings that would promote the licensing objectives and reduce the risk of nuisance, should the Sub-Committee be minded to grant the application:

·       external doors and windows to be kept closed during the provision of regulated entertainment;

·       access and egress of patrons including those wishing to smoke to be by the security controlled access;

·       regulated entertainment to cease at 01:10 on 1 January 2020; and

·       no entry to the premises after 23:30 on 31 January 2019.

Mr Nevitt acknowledged that the Application was for an event on New Year’s Eve, when it would be reasonably unlikely to cause a problem.

The Sub-Committee heard from David Parsons (Applicant). Mr Parsons understood that the noise nuisance had occurred at an event held during the summer, when the doors to the Premises had been left open. Mr Parsons agreed that the doors and windows to the Premises would remain closed during the event on New Year’s Eve, when the weather would be colder. Mr Nevitt confirmed that if the Application were to be granted, the City Council’s Noise Team would be notified of the Temporary Event Notice and boundaries that had been set.

The Sub-Committee after taking into careful consideration of the evidence before it  by way of the submissions received, and noting that a Section 80 Abatement Notice was still outstanding, the Sub-Committee considered it was appropriate and proportionate to grant the Application subject to conditions, which included keeping windows and exit doors at the premises closed in order to contain noise; access and egress from the premises (including smokers) to be by the controlled inner door; no entry to the premises after 23:30 on 31 January 2019; and regulated entertainment to cease at 01:10 on 1 January 2020.