The Licensing Board met to consider a range of applications for new and provisional licences, variations to existing licences, and transfers of licences to new proprietors. All of the applications considered at the meeting were approved. The meeting also received an update on Licensing Forum and Licensing Standards Officer (LSO) activities.

Provisional Premises Licences

The board considered three applications for provisional premises licences:

• Premier, 12 South Mount Street, Aberdeen - A provisional premises licence was granted for the sale of alcohol off the premises for consumption elsewhere, subject to the conditions agreed by the applicant.
• Union Pavilion, Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen - A provisional premises licence was granted for a new bar/cafe/restaurant. This application was subject to a public representation from a member of the public. The licence was granted subject to conditions including CCTV, the employment of door supervisors, and a drug policy being agreed, as well as limitations on the times at which alcohol could be sold for consumption in the outdoor drinking area.
• Singh Street, Unit FS 6/7, Union Square, Aberdeen - The board considered an application for a new family friendly Indian restaurant. The application was granted subject to conditions including the provision of CCTV and limitations on the times at which alcohol could be delivered from the premises.

Variation of Premises Licence - Krakatoa

Krakatoa at 2 Trinity Quay applied to vary its premises licence to:

• Add theatre to the list of licensable activities permitted in the operating plan during core licensed hours.
• Amend the terms under which children and young persons will be allowed entry to the premises.

The variation was granted.

Transfer of Premises Licences

The board considered two applications for the transfer of existing premises licences to new proprietors. The applications, for the Express by Holiday Inn, and the Station Hotel, were both granted. Both applications were subject to representations from Police Scotland.

Personal Licence Applications

The meeting considered five applications for the grant of a personal licence:

• Applicant A - The board considered a report from Police Scotland and deferred making a decision to allow the applicant to attend the next meeting. > The Board Must: > > a) The Board if it is satisfied that it is necessary to do so for the purposes of > any of the licensing objections refuse the application or > b) If not so satisfied, grant the application.
• Applicant B - The board considered a report from Police Scotland and deferred making a decision to allow the applicant to attend the next meeting.
• Applicant C - The board considered a report from Police Scotland and granted the application.
• Applicant D - The board considered a report from Police Scotland and granted the application.
• Applicant E - The board considered a report from Police Scotland and granted the application.

Personal Licence Review - Licence Holder A

The board considered a report from Police Scotland about the conduct of a personal licence holder. The board resolved to defer making a decision on whether to take any action to give the licence holder the opportunity to attend the next meeting.

Aberdeen City - Chief Constable Report 2023 - 2024

The board received the annual report from Police Scotland on the Chief Constable's view of the operation of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 in their area.

The report stated that:

In the year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, the following applications were received and processed by the police licensing team for consideration of the Aberdeen Board.

| Type of application | No. 22-23 | No. 23-24 | No. of Police Representations/Objections 22-23 | No. of Police Representations/Objections 23-24 | | -------------------------------- | --------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | New/Provisional Premises Licence | 22 | 20 | 12 | 5 | | Variations | 99 | 71 | 22 | 19 |

It also highlighted two cases where adults had purchased alcohol for consumption by children:

There were two reported cases of adults buying alcohol for children within Aberdeen City during the reporting period.

The report described some of the ways in which Police Scotland try to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. For example by:

• Working with other agencies:

  The team enjoys a strong working relationship with the Local Authority Licensing Standards Officers. Both teams meet on a regular basis to share information and regularly conduct joint visits to licensed premises, on both a pro-active and reactive basis.

• Public safety campaigns:

  It is intended that our involvement and participation in public safety campaigns will continue. We are actively encouraging premises to partake in our ‘Bystander’ training aimed at protecting vulnerable people.

LSO Update

The board received a verbal update on Licensing Standards Officer activities in the city. This included:

• A report of counterfeit vodka circulating in Aberdeen. The LSOs had assisted in an investigation that had found counterfeit vodka at one premises, which is now the subject of an ongoing investigation by Food Standards Scotland.
• A report that Greene King pubs in the city were offering a £2 pint promotion that could breach the 72-hour rule. > The 72-hour rule prevents licensed premises from offering short term promotions that undercut the price of alcohol at other times. It is intended to reduce binge drinking. The LSOs had contacted Greene King management to advise them that they could not sell one pint for £2 and then revert to the regular price for subsequent pints.
• A report that a number of premises had not been trading for a significant time. The LSOs are making further enquiries, including into premises that had been operating under occasional licences for more than two years.