The Licensing and Gambling Acts Sub-Committee met to consider an application for a new premises licence for Lovitaly, located at 3 Church Street, Wimborne. The sub-committee reviewed the application, considered representations from interested parties, and ultimately made a decision regarding the licence.

Lovitaly, 3 Church Street, Wimborne - New Premises Licence Application

An application was made by Lovitaly Wimborne Ltd for a new premises licence for Lovitaly, 3 Church Street, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1JH. The sub-committee was tasked with determining the application in light of written and oral evidence, and to take steps it considered appropriate and proportionate for the promotion of the licensing objectives¹. The applicant described the premises as a coffee shop spanning two floors with approximately 40 covers, intending to sell all types of alcohol. The application requested permission to supply alcohol (both on and off the premises) from Monday to Sunday between 09:00 and 23:00 hours.

The application included an operating schedule outlining steps to promote the licensing objectives, which would be converted into enforceable conditions if the licence was granted. These steps included:

• Staff training on the Challenge 25 scheme[^3], hours and activities permitted by the licence, refusal register maintenance, recognising signs of drunkenness, and emergency procedures. [^3]: Challenge 25 is a retailing strategy that encourages anyone who is over 18 but looks under 25 to carry acceptable ID (a card bearing the PASS hologram, a photographic driving licence or a passport) when buying alcohol.
• Maintaining an incident log to record incidents of disorder, crimes, ejections, complaints, drug seizures, CCTV faults, and visits by authorities.
• Installing and maintaining a comprehensive CCTV system covering all public areas, with clear image recording and storage for a minimum of 31 days.
• Ensuring all alcohol on display is visible to staff.
• Preserving any crime scene should the police be called.
• Limiting the maximum number of people allowed on the premises to 50, including staff.
• Collecting glasses and bottles regularly to prevent build-up.
• Training all staff in the legality and procedure of alcohol sales, with documented training records.
• Implementing a written age verification policy with a Challenge 25 proof of age requirement.
• Displaying prominent signage indicating the Challenge 25 scheme is in operation.
• Maintaining an alcohol sales refusal register.

Representations

As part of the application process, various responsible authorities² were consulted, including Dorset Police, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service, Public Health Dorset, the Immigration Authority, Dorset Council Trading Standards, Dorset Council Children's Services, Dorset Council Planning, Dorset Council Licensing, Dorset Council Environmental Protection, and Dorset Council Health and Safety. No representations were received from any of these authorities. However, two relevant representations were received from members of the public, raising concerns about the prevention of public nuisance and crime and disorder due to potential noise and anti-social behaviour.

Considerations

The sub-committee was required to consider the application in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003, the Revised Guidance issued under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, and the Dorset Council Statement of Licensing Policy.

The report presented to the sub-committee outlined several options available to them, including:

• Granting the licence subject to conditions.
• Excluding certain licensable activities from the scope of the licence.
• Refusing to specify a person as the designated premises supervisor[^5]. [^5]: A Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is a personal licence holder who has been nominated by the premises licence holder and approved by the licensing authority.
• Rejecting the application.

The report also noted that any decision made by the sub-committee could lead to an appeal by any of the parties involved, which could incur costs for the council.

Decision

The article provided does not contain the outcome of the application.