In the absence of the Chair and the Vice Chair, it was –

Resolved – That, Councillor James Stuart Laing be appointed Chair for this meeting.

Members of the Panel are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non pecuniary interests in connection with any application on the agenda and state the nature of the interest.

Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests and any

other relevant interest and to state the nature of the interest.

There were no declarations of interests.

The Licensing Manager reported that the applicant had withdrawn the application for a Markets Rights Licence to allow a short term market to take place at Liscard Way, Liscard.

The Licensing Manager presented the report of the Director of Law and Corporate services for consideration of applications for a Market Rights Licence submitted by RR Events Solutions Ltd to be located at Ian Fraser Walk, New Brighton. The Licensing Panel were informed that applications had been submitted for the operation of continental street markets at the proposed location on 3 to 6 May 2024 and 8 to 11 August 2024. The proposed markets would operate between the hours of 10:00 to 18:00. It was reported that the Regulatory and General Purposes Committee resolved to adopt a Market Rights Policy in September 2022 which set out several criteria for consideration when determining market rights licence applications.

The applicant on behalf of RR Events Solutions Ltd was invited to make submissions to the Panel in support of their application. The applicant reported that RR Events Solutions Ltd had previously operated a continental market at the “Dips” in New Brighton, but that this location had proven unsuccessful due to several reasons including accessibility issues at the site hence the proposal to hold the markets at Ian Fraser Walk. It was further reported that RR Events Solutions Ltd worked with a core group of traders to operate markets providing craft and artisan produce from different countries of origin, including food and drink as well as goods such as lamps, rugs and garden furniture. The applicant explained that local traders were given the opportunity to take part in the market via advertisements on social media and a maximum of 5 free stalls were available for this. The applicant informed the Licensing Panel that in response to complaints received regarding the operation of previous markets in New Brighton, the applicant advised that there would be no stalls in operation against memorial benches, traders would not sell fish and chips which would be in particular conflict with local providers who specialised in this provision, music would be staggered throughout the day and that lessons had been learned in respect of checking the provenance of the goods to be sold by various traders. The Panel were also informed that the market would close at 4.00pm on a Sunday. The applicant advised that feedback from visitors had been positive and that the proposed markets had received no objections from businesses in the immediate vicinity of the proposed site.

The Chair exercised their discretion to invite a member of the New Brighton Coastal Community Team, who advised that they were representing 25 local businesses across four trading areas in New Brighton, to make a statement. The representative informed the Panel that the operation of a market as proposed within the applications would have an adverse impact on local businesses particularly when operating on Bank Holiday weekends. The representative explained that local traders were reliant on bank holiday trade to sustain their businesses and when events had taken place in New Brighton on Bank Holiday weekends previously, traders experienced a significant loss of trade. The representative informed the Panel  ...  view the full minutes text for item 148.