This meeting was about whether to take action against a Club X in Newark, following an application to review its licence. The committee were being asked to consider the application and other people's responses to it, and then decide whether to take action against the club.

Application for Review of a Premises Licence - Club X, Castle Gate, Newark

The Licensing Sub-Committee were scheduled to discuss an application for the review of the Premises Licence for Club X, on Castle Gate in Newark.

The review, which was applied for by Yvonne Swinton, the Community Protection Manager at Newark and Sherwood District Council, was made on the grounds of the prevention of public nuisance.

This followed a series of noise complaints, relating to noise from customers in the rear smoking area of the club, which continued after a meeting with the club's management and the service of an Abatement Notice under Section 80 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990¹.

As a result of the ongoing noise nuisance, the applicant asked the committee to consider the following options:

• Revoking the club’s licence entirely
• Reducing the club’s opening hours to
  • Monday to Wednesday – 8pm – 11.30pm
  • Thursday and Sunday – 8pm – 11.30pm
  • Friday and Saturday – 8pm – 12.30
  • Or other hours as the committee see fit
• Limiting the number of customers in the smoking area to five at any one time and enforcing this limit with door staff
• Prohibiting customers from using the outside area of the club
• Prohibiting the use of the outside area of the club to the rear of the premises after 11pm
• Requiring the club to create a “quiet” area inside for customers who want to chat and relax away from the music

Responses to the application

In advance of the meeting, representations in response to the application were received from the following parties:

• Newark Town Council who supported the club, describing it as “an important asset to Newark’s night-time economy”, and suggesting that the committee consider limiting the number of customers in the smoking area at any one time, prohibiting the use of the outside area of the club, or closing the rear outside area after 11pm. The Town Council also described the request that the club create a ‘quiet area’ as “a very positive step”.
• Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service who reminded the committee that the responsible person at the premises must have a Fire Risk Assessment in place
• Newark and Sherwood District Council Planning Department, who said that planning permission, which was granted for the site in 1994, prevents the use of the premises between the hours of 2am and 9am.
• Amanda, India, Jasper & Scarlet Meade and Valerie Frank, residents of Castle Gate, who said that they had experienced noise and disruption from Club X’s customers and that they are “not able to go about their normal family life during the evenings when the club is open”. They stated that they “do not want the building to continue to be used as a night club”.

The report pack notes that mediation between the License holder and Community Protection was ongoing in an attempt to find an alternative, suitable location for the smoking area, and that an update would be given to the committee.