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Please give the reason for the representation and detail the evidence supporting it:

Please give the reason for the representation and detail the evidence supporting it:

 

Kent Police make these representations in respect of a new license application for the “Warehouse” which is going to be located in the Rose Yard, Maidstone.

 

The location falls within the town centre’s Public Space Protection Order and therefore it has already been evidenced that alcohol has a detrimental effect in the area.

 

The application is for a five storey building (including roof terrace) and is asking for nearly all of the licensable activities. The requested hours of operation seem to vary from activity to activity however it is noted that the provision of Recorded Music and the sale of alcohol is to be allowed between 08:00hrs and 06:00hrs each day.

 

It is Kent Police’s understanding that the applicant intends to use the building for various types of event and therefore wants the licence to be broad so as to permit the venue to host almost anything from an all-night dance event to a day time Christmas Market.  Whilst it is Kent Police’s understanding that the applicant does not intend to use the premises for a late night club 7 days a week the fact remains that this licence would technically allow that and therefore this licence needs to be robust enough to cover all possibilities.

 

Kent Police believe the venue may undermine the licensing objectives in the following ways:

 

Prevention of Crime and disorder 

The link between alcohol and crime is well established and doesn’t need any further evidence here. However it needs to be understood that this Premises Licence will potentially allow a large number of people to drink alcohol from 08:00hrs until 06:00hrs the next day and without doubt some of them will become involved in acts of crime and or disorder. Clearly it will involve a significant number of security staff to control them and even then in reality all the staff will do is push the problem out of the premises and onto the streets where they become a Police issue. It should be noted that the busiest period of the NTE for the Police is between 01:00hrs and 04:00hrs which is when this licence will be operating.    

 

Public Nuisance

Maidstone town centre is undertaking a growth in residential premises and these new residents should be entitled to a home in which they can live and sleep without being disturbed by this premises. Therefore steps need to be taken to control the noise coming from the premises as well as controlling the noise of customers leaving in the early morning. It is obvious that several hundred people walking past your address at 4 or 5 in the morning will have an impact on your sleep. When you add in the fact that they have been drinking for some time, the problem will be magnified. 

 

Public Safety 

The premises will have a capacity of 1300 people which is quite large. That number of people in a multi storey building carries a risk before alcohol is even added to the situation. 

 

Protection of children from harm.

The premises are to be used as an events centre and as it is impossible to know exactly what events will occur, it is impossible to say how much impact these events will have on the licensing objective but the licence if granted as per the application could allow for nearly 1300 children to be on site at any one time, they need to be kept safe.

 

Because of these concerns Kent Police believe that a number of conditions need to be added to the licence to reduce these risks to a minimum.

 

 

Suggested conditions that could be added to the licence to remedy the representation or other suggestions the licensing sub committee may take into account:

 

CCTV to be fitted to a standard agreed by the Police and that complies with the “CCTV Code of Practice” (Latest edition) as produced by the Information Commissioners Office. The CCTV coverage shall include all areas to which the public have access (with the exception of areas agreed by the Police, for example toilet cubicles) and will cover stairwells and entrances. It will also cover any areas which are expected to be used to eject or temporarily hold customers. The CCTV will also cover any area which could be considered a balcony area.

 

The CCTV system will be maintained and serviced on a regular basis and records kept to that effect.

 

The DPS will ensure that the CCTV is displaying the correct date and time (To within 5 minutes)

 

The CCTV shall be recording at all times that the premises are open to the public.

 

Images will be retained for a period of at least 30 days.

 

The Police or local authority will be given a copy of the CCTV in a suitable format within 48 hours of any reasonable request.

 

A member of staff who can operate the CCTV will be on duty at all times the premises are open to the public and will be able to provide the Police with a copy of CCTV, upon request in the case of a serious incident occurring. 

 

At least one member of staff with a personal licence will be on duty at all times that the premises are open for the sale of alcohol.

 

The DPS will be responsible for the maintaining of an incident book at the premises and this book will log all incidents which are “out of the ordinary”.

 

Adequate arrangements will be in place to accommodate disabled people and enable their safe movement within the premises. Those arrangements will also consider the needs during a safe evacuation from the premises in case of an incident.

 

Adequate and appropriate first aid equipment/materials will be on site at all times that the premises are open to the public.

 

A minimum of at least one member of staff trained in First Aid will be on duty on each floor that the public are using. (not including the ground floor)     

 

At the end of any event which finishes between midnight and 06:00hrs at least one member of security staff will be posted outside the building to supervise the immediate egress of customers. They will remain on duty until all customers are clear from the area of the Rose Yard immediately in front of the building.

 

The premises will undertake the “Challenge 25” Scheme.

 

All staff involved in the sale or supply of alcohol will be trained in the “Challenge 25” Scheme and such training will be recorded.

 

The premises shall produce a full Risk Assessment to cover the running of events at the premises. All events whether run as “in house” or by outside organisers will comply with that Risk Assessment unless a separate Risk Assessment is completed for that particular event. These risk assessments either generic or event specific will be agreed by the Police at least 72 hours prior to the event taking place.