The Licensing Sub Committee E met on Monday 23 December 2013 to review the premises licence for Maddigans and consider a Temporary Event Notice. The committee decided to suspend the licence for Maddigans for up to three months and remove the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) due to concerns about crime and disorder. They also issued a counter notice for the Temporary Event Notice at Unit 4, 98 Wallis Road, preventing the event from taking place.

Review of Premises Licence for Maddigans

The committee reviewed the premises licence for Maddigans, located at 255 Mare Street, E8, following an application by the Police on the grounds of the prevention of serious crime. This review was prompted by a stabbing incident at the venue where the Police were not called and evidence was reportedly cleaned up. A breach of Condition 13 was identified, as no SIA registered door staff were on duty at the time of the incident.

Sergeant Guy Hicks of the Police explained that Maddigans had been subject to previous reviews, including one by the Council's Pollution department in 2010 and another by a local residents' association in August 2013. The Licensing Sub-Committee had previously amended some of the licence conditions. An expedited review had already taken place on 5 December 2013, resulting in the suspension of the licence.

Sergeant Hicks did not request a revocation of the licence or a reduction in operating hours, instead proposing a suspension of approximately six weeks and full training for all staff. He felt the licence was already heavily conditioned and a revocation was unnecessary at that stage.

Martin Sugarman, representing local residents, stated that venues like Maddigans attract anti-social behaviour and noted a significant reduction in noise and anti-social behaviour in the surrounding area since its recent closure. He requested that measures be taken to prevent similar incidents, that the premises be re-branded, and that it close at 11 pm daily.

Shaun Markett, the agent for Maddigans, expressed the management's concern over the recent event, describing it as an isolated incident that did not involve regular attendees and occurred before 11 pm. He asserted that the venue did not have a history of crime and disorder. Mr. Markett confirmed that the venue would be changing its DPS, implementing a comprehensive search and drugs policy, and reviewing security arrangements. He argued that a revocation would be harsh given the circumstances and that management was taking all necessary steps to prevent future incidents. He also mentioned that the management had offered to close the venue at midnight throughout January 2014.

During the discussion, Sergeant Hicks requested to see a copy of the security review and for it to be assessed by the Council's Crime Prevention Officer. It was explained that the new DPS had completed CRB checks and relevant training, with an SIA application submitted and awaiting a new personal licence. The Police have 14 days to object to a change of DPS.

The agent provided further assurances, including full staff training, a new search and drug policy, increased security, re-branding, a new management team, and a zero-tolerance approach to drugs and anti-social behaviour. He also noted that a recent noise complaint was related to an alternative venue in the area. Regarding security, it was clarified that the new DPS would be SIA trained, and additional SIA registered staff would be employed if a risk assessment deemed it necessary. An additional DPS would also be appointed to cover instances where the primary DPS was unable to work.

Sergeant Hicks reiterated his recommendation for a six-week licence suspension, without reducing operating hours. The agent stressed the considerable financial impact of a suspension at that time of year and urged a balanced view. Mr. Sugarman highlighted residents' fear following the incident and their desire for reassurance.

The Sub-Committee resolved to modify the premises licence for Maddigans. The licence will be suspended for a maximum of three months, or until the Police's concerns are satisfactorily addressed and notified in writing to the licensing authority. Additionally, the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is to be removed from the premises licence. The reasons for this decision were that the Sub-Committee was satisfied that the suspension and removal of the DPS were necessary and appropriate to uphold the licensing objectives. They remained concerned that the measures proposed by the licence holder could not be fully implemented to the Police's satisfaction within a short timeframe. Therefore, the premises should not operate until measures were in place to ensure that crime and disorder, or public nuisance, did not occur as a result of its operation.

Temporary Event Notice at Unit 4, 98 Wallis Road

The committee considered an application for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) for Unit 4, 98 Wallis Road, which had received objections from the Police. Mike Smith, Senior Licensing Officer, confirmed that attempts to contact the applicants had been unsuccessful, and they were not in attendance.

Sergeant Hicks stated that the application was for New Year's Day, a time when two other events were already scheduled in the local area. He expressed concern that granting the TEN would lead to further disturbance for local residents, as the other events concluded at 7 am, and the proposed TEN would commence at 8 am, potentially leaving around 1,000 people waiting in the area for the next event.

As the applicants were not present to make any representations, the Licensing Sub-Committee resolved to issue a counter notice for the proposed event. This decision was made having regard to the prevention of crime and disorder and/or public nuisance, as the concerns raised by the Police were deemed to undermine these licensing objectives.