The Licensing Sub Committee was scheduled to consider an application for a new premises licence for the Fairwater Conservative Club. The committee was also scheduled to address any urgent items that may have arisen.

Application for Premises Licence: Fairwater Conservative Club

The Licensing Sub Committee was scheduled to consider an application for a new premises licence for the Fairwater Conservative Club, located at 61 Ely Road, Llandaff, Cardiff. The application was made by the Fairwater Conservative Club itself.

The club was seeking to be granted a licence for several licensable activities, including:

• The sale of alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises.
• The provision of regulated entertainment, specifically live music and recorded music, to be held indoors.

The proposed operating hours for the sale of alcohol were from 11:00 to 23:00 on Sundays to Thursdays, and from 11:00 to 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with extended hours until 01:00 on New Year's Eve. For regulated entertainment, live music was scheduled to be available from 17:00 to 23:00 on Thursdays to Sundays, and recorded music from 12:00 to 23:00 on Sundays to Thursdays, and 12:00 to 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

The report pack indicated that representations had been received from South Wales Police and Pollution Control. However, these representations were withdrawn after conditions were agreed upon between the applicant and these bodies. Despite these agreements, objections were submitted by other persons, identified as local residents, primarily concerning the prevention of public nuisance.

One of the objectors, Dr Margaret Collins, who lives opposite the club, raised concerns about existing noise levels, particularly from loud music audible inside her home, groups gathering outside to talk and smoke, and dispersal noise late at night. She provided documented evidence of incidents and argued that the proposed extended hours would exacerbate these issues. Dr Collins requested that the live music element be restricted, that alcohol sales and recorded music not extend beyond current hours, and that specific conditions be imposed regarding the closure of external doors during entertainment, a formal noise management and dispersal plan, and restrictions on external gatherings.

Another objector, Jacqueline Pace, who resides adjacent to the premises, also made a formal representation focusing on the prevention of public nuisance. Ms Pace detailed a history of disturbances related to early-morning waste collections, late-night bottle handling by staff, and patron noise. She highlighted previous interventions by Cardiff Council and the ongoing nature of these issues, questioning the adequacy of the proposed operating schedule and the effectiveness of general management assurances. Ms Pace requested that the application for alcohol sales and recorded music until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays be refused or that robust, specific, and enforceable conditions be imposed.

The report pack also included the operating schedule submitted by the Fairwater Conservative Club, which outlined the steps they intended to take to promote the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. This included measures such as CCTV, staff training, a Challenge 25 policy for alcohol sales, and efforts to minimise noise and disturbance to neighbours.

The committee was scheduled to consider these representations and the applicant's operating schedule in order to make a determination on the premises licence application. The determination could involve granting the application, modifying its conditions, or rejecting it in whole or in part.

The documents related to this meeting can be found in the Public reports pack and the Agenda frontsheet.