Note from council licensing officer

I have been asked to send you a brief summary of the market application.
There are objections from the public to this application and the
consultation period ends on 30th June 2009. A licensing sub committee
hearing will then be convened to consider the application. Public
notices were displayed in line with the correct procedure for
notification of premises licences applications. Details of the
application have been on our website in the on-line licensing section
for the past three weeks and copies of the application sent to all
members of the licensing committee in line with the notification
procedures. I have also discussed the application with Councillor Pia
and Councillor Willcocks.

An application for a premises licence for the market area has been made
by the markets manager for St Albans City and District Council. There
are a number of reasons for the application which would, if granted,
make the markets manager the licence holder for the market area.
Currently, temporary event notices are required for events that are held
in the market area if they involve the selling of alcohol or some form
of entertainment. Only 12 temporary event notices can be granted each
year. We are close to that limit as requests are sometimes made to sell
alcohol at the monthly farmers’ market, the three Italian markets and
the three continental markets. In addition, the city also hosts one-off
entertainment events such as the St Albans Festival, at which alcohol is
sold and the Christmas Lights Switch On, at which alcohol is not offered
for sale. If granted, the application would mean that there will no
longer be a need to obtain individual temporary licences for these type
of events.

This arrangement would also give the council greater control over
temporary events. Under the current system only the police can object to
the granting of a temporary event notice, whereas, if the licence, is
granted then it will be up to the markets manager to grant permission
for the event after having obtained the prior agreement of the council’s
Licensing Section, the police and the Environmental Health Department.
In addition, the licence, if granted, would mean that buskers would have
to apply to the markets manager for permission to perform in the market
place. Currently, buskers can perform when and where they want. The aim
is to control and encourage street entertainment on market days, during
day-time hours only.

The licence application originally included some residential streets,
however, the markets manager has agreed to remove these.

Lesley Cameron
Principal Licensing Officer and (Home Counties Regional Chair of The
Institute of Licensing)
Licensing Section
Civic Centre
St Peter’s Street
St Albans
Herts
AL1 3JE
01727 819454
e-mail lesley.cameron@stalbans.gov.uk