Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman for the meeting.

RESOLVED:

That Cllr Clarke be elected as Chairman for the meeting.

CLLR CLARKE IN THE CHAIR

To note any declarations of interest made by members in connection with an agenda item.  The nature of the interest must also be specified.

Members are asked to discuss any possible interests with Democratic Services prior to the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made by members in connection with an agenda item.

To consider an application for a sex shop establishment.

Decision of the Sub-Committee

(a)        The application for a sex establishment licence is granted to the Applicant for a period of one year on the terms applied for:

·         A sex shop

·         With trading hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00.

(b)        And subject to the standard conditions as prescribed by the New Forest District Council Control of Sex Establishments Regulations Made Under Paragraph 13 of Schedule 3 to the 1982 Act Prescribing Standard Conditions Applicable to Licences for Sex Establishments (attached) with the premises closing at 17:00 hours, as per a above.

Reasons for the Decision

The Sub-Committee carefully considered the application along with the evidence, both written and oral, supplied by the Applicant. The Sub-Committee noted that no objections were received in relation to the application from the public or from the Chief Officer of Police.

The Sub-Committee noted that the proposed premises was located on an industrial estate and that there were no schools or places of worship in the immediate vicinity.

The Sub-Committee heard submissions from Mr Hemming who stated that his business was currently a wholesale operation and that he wanted to open a retail outlet in the former wholesale showroom as a trial. Mr Hemming supported his application by setting out his track record in the industry and stated that he has other sites licensed for retail. Mr Hemming confirmed that he has worked in the sector for over 40 years.

When asked about expected traffic of customers to the business, Mr Hemming stated that he was not aware of the kind of demand in the area but hoped there would be some passing trade and he would advertise locally as well as online.  The Sub-Committee questioned Mr Hemming whether parking could be an issue, however, he stated that he owned the site and that he considered there was sufficient parking for customers visiting the premises.

The Sub-Committee considered whether there were any mandatory or discretionary grounds for refusal of the application.  It was concluded that none of the grounds were applicable to the application.  The Sub-Committee made the decision to grant the application as applied for, for the period of one year subject to standard conditions made under Paragraph 13 of Schedule 3 to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.