The Licensing Hearing of Northumberland Council was scheduled to consider an application for a new premises licence for a KFC restaurant in Ashington. The meeting's agenda also included procedural matters related to licensing hearings.

Application for a New Premises Licence for KFC Ashington

The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application for a new premises licence for KFC Ashington, located at Morpeth Road, Ashington, NE63 8QG. The application, submitted by Woods Whur on behalf of Alderforce North Limited, sought to allow the licensable activity of Late-Night Refreshment from Monday to Sunday, between 23:00 and 05:00.

Four objections were received from interested parties, citing concerns related to the prevention of public nuisance and the prevention of crime and disorder. These objections highlighted potential issues such as increased anti-social behaviour, disruption to a nearby residential estate and public park, littering, noise from increased vehicular traffic and customer activity during late hours, and odour and light pollution.

Ashington Town Council also submitted a representation against the application, focusing on the potential for public nuisance and crime and disorder. Their concerns included noise from vehicles, customer congregation, litter, odour, light spill, and servicing activities. They proposed that if the licence were to be granted, it should be with significantly reduced hours and a range of conditions, including a dispersal policy, litter patrols, restrictions on deliveries and waste collection, and CCTV measures.

The report pack indicated that the Licensing Act 2003¹ and the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy² would guide the determination of the application. The report also referenced guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003³.

The report pack outlined the potential determinations the subcommittee could make:

• Grant the licence subject to conditions consistent with the operating schedule, modified as deemed appropriate for the promotion of licensing objectives.
• Exclude any licensable activities from the scope of the licence.
• Reject the application if it was not possible to promote the licensing objectives by any other means.

The report pack also detailed the procedure for licensing hearings, including the role of the Legal Advisor and Licensing Officer, the presentation of the case by the applicant and any objectors, and the process for decision-making and appeal.