Decision - Hove & Kingsway Bowling Club Licensing Panel (Licensing Act 2003 Functions)

Licensing Panel (Licensing Act 2003 Functions) - Notification of the Determination of Panel.

Licensing panel hearing held virtually via Teams on Monday 10th February 2025 in respect of the application for a new Club Premises Certificate for Hove & Kingsway Bowling Club, Hove and Kingsway Bowls Clubhouse, Outdoor Sports Hub, Kingsway, Hove BN3 4GP

The panel has read the report including the relevant representations and has had regard to the Statement of Licensing Policy (SoLP) and the statutory guidance and has listened carefully to all the submissions made today.

This is an application for a new Club Premises Certificate. The application seeks to enable Hove & Kingsway Bowling Club (‘the Club’) to operate its club activities from the new club house situated a short distance from the previous premises. The application has been amended to reduce the hours in line with planning requirements. The applicant has agreed to additional conditions from Environmental Protection and these are in the papers. The police are happy with the conditions offered subject to a minor amendment. The premises are not within the Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) or Special Stress Area (SSA).

Eleven representations were received from local residents and the director of the freehold of Fairlawns on behalf of the leaseholders. The representations had concerns relating to the prevention of public nuisance. They were particularly concerned about the prospect of music outside as they had had cause to complain about the previous club operation in this respect. Some considered the hours applied for to be excessive.

The applicant’s representative stated that this application should be considered on its own merits and was not a review of the previous certificate. He considered there was little evidence provided of public nuisance. He pointed to the fact that neither Environmental Protection or the Police had made a representation. Conditions were offered that addressed relevant concerns, notably those around music. It was stressed that all music would be played indoors and conditions stated that doors and windows would be kept closed, save for access and egress.

The panel has considered this application on its merits. It has taken into full consideration the concerns raised by the residents which it appreciates are strongly felt. It is clear that there were concerns about the activities of the club under the previous certificate and that there has been a breakdown in relations between residents and the club.

However this application must be considered on its merits. A key factor is that there will be no music played outside and there are robust agreed conditions around noise, in particular that no noise or vibration shall emanate from the premises that gives rise to a nuisance. The hours have also been reduced from those originally applied for and the applicant has met all the requirements of the responsible authorities.

The panel is therefore granting the application with all the relevant conditions attached which will promote the licensing objectives as well as the mandatory conditions that apply to Club Premises Certificates regarding off sales. The panel hopes that the club will work to foster better relations with its neighbours, which has not been the case to date. It advises setting up meetings, for example quarterly, with residents so that any issues can be discussed. Ultimately there is a power of review of the certificate if problems cannot be resolved.

The minutes of the panel will be available on the Council’s website under the rubric ‘Council and Democracy’.