Agenda and minutes

Noted that Councillor Rolfe was substituting for Councillor Boyce.

There were no declarations of interest pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct.

The Sub-Committee noted the agreed procedure for the conduct of business, and the terms of reference.

(Director of Corporate Support Services) To consider the attached report.

The three Councillors that presided over this item were Councillors K Angold-Stephens, R Morgan ad B Rolfe. The Chairman welcomed the participants and requested that they introduce themselves to the Sub-Committee. In attendance on behalf of the application were the applicant Mr David Bales and his son. There were no other people present. The Chairman then introduced the Members and Officers present and outlined the procedure that would be followed for the determination of the application.

The Application before the Sub-Committee

The legal officer informed the Sub-Committee that the District Council had a received an application from Mr David Bales for the grant of a transfer of a Sex Shop Licence in respect of the premises at 105 Epping New Road, Buckhurst Hill, IG9 5TQ.

The application had been consulted on and the Council had received responses from Essex Police and the Children’s Safeguarding Service who stated that they had no representations to make. Two objections were received from local residents.

Presentation of the Applicant’s Case

Mr Bales noted that this had been a sex shop for the last 40 years. He noted that he was not going to change anything in the shop; this was just a transfer of the licence. There had been no objections received from the Police or other responsible bodies, just two residents. He also owned the building next door where the alleged place of worship was said to be. He noted that it was occupied by a Jewish charity and was the office’s for them.

Questions for the Applicant from the Sub-Committee

Councillor Angold-Stephens noted that an objector had mentioned a nearby school – was that St John’s? Mr Bales replied that it was but it was about a quarter of a mile away.

Councillor Angold-Stephens asked about the religious establishment next door, was it a synagogue? Mr Bales replied that he owned the building and had rented it out to a charity for office use only. He had received an email from the Rabbi there saying that he knew about the shop and had no objections to it.

Councillor Morgan if the layout of the shop would be the same as before. Mr Bales said that it would be, although they were redecorating the shop and doing some structural repairs upstairs.

Councillor Angold-Stephens asked about their window display and was told that it would be as it had always been, just lingerie. He also noted they did most of their trade by mail order.

Closing Statement from the Applicant

Mr Bales had nothing to add.

Consideration of the Application by the Sub-Committee

The Sub-Committee asked the applicant to leave the chamber so that they could consider the application. They received no advice from officers.

RESOLVED:

That the transfer of the sex shop licence for 105 Epping New Road, Buckhurst Hill be granted to Mr D Bales, subject to the conditions currently attached to the existing licence.