Agenda and draft minutes

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The Chair referred to the notice of filming at meetings and this information was noted.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

It being a special meeting of the Sub Committee, under Part Four, Section B, Paragraph 17, of the Council’s Constitution, no other business shall be considered at the meeting.

It was noted that, it being a special meeting of the Sub-Committee, under Part Four, Section B, Paragraph 17 of the Council’s Constitution, no other business would be considered at the meeting.

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chair will explain the procedure that the Committee will follow for the hearing considered under the Licensing Act 2003.

The Chair provided a summary of the procedure for the meeting.

To consider an application for a premises licence for an adult gaming centre.

Daliah Barrett, Licensing Officer, introduced the report which presented an application for a premises licence for an Adult Gaming Centre at Little Vegas, 17 High Road, Wood Green, London, N22. It was explained that the relevant operating licence had been issued and that there was sufficient paperwork to demonstrate the right to occupy the premises. It was noted that representations had been received from three Responsible Authorities, namely the Police, Licensing Authority, and Public Health, and from an interested party. It was explained that the applicant had agreed to the conditions recommended by the Police, with some minor alterations, and that this representation had been withdrawn.

The Licensing Officer stated that an Adult Gaming Centre (AGC) premises licence authorised the use of Category B, C and D gaming machines. It was added that Category B machines should be restricted to B3 or B4 machines but not B3A machines and that no more than 20% of the total number of gaming machines could be Category B machines. It was noted that a summary of machine provisions was set out in Appendix 2 of the report.

The Licensing Officer explained that Gambling Commission guidance and premises licence conditions were set out in Appendix 3 of the report, further Gambling Commission guidance and the mandatory conditions were set out in Appendix 4 of the report, and the Haringey Statement of Gambling Policy and Local Area Profile were set out in Appendix 5 of the report.

It was explained that the application would be considered under the three licensing objectives: preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime; ensuring that gambling was conducted in a fair and open way; and protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling. It was noted that the licensing authority could not have regard to the expected demand for the facilities as part of its determination.

There were no questions from the Committee or objectors.

The Committee heard from the representatives for the applicant, Paddy Whur (applicant’s representative), Amanda Usher (applicant’s representative), Dobromir Baltadzhiev, and Byron Evans. Paddy Whur explained that a case outline had been circulated to all parties which set out the key issues in the applicant’s case. It was explained that the premises used to be a William Hill betting shop and that the AGC would be a replacement rather than additional premises for gambling. It was suggested that there was a lesser impact from an AGC and it was reported that a change of use had been granted in relation to planning. It was stated that a significant number of conditions were proposed to meet the licensing objectives and that, although AGCs were permitted to open 24 hours per day, the applicant was offering reduced hours of operation.

Paddy Whur explained that the Gambling Act 2005 was a permissive regime and that applications should only be refused if there were exceptional circumstances to refuse. He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.