ANNEX 4

Representation made by Public Protection (Environmental Health)

I have reviewed the premises license application for 6 St Georges Place, York and would have concerns about noise from customers raised voices on race days and in the evenings in the garden area.

The application is to introduce a licensed area between 11:00 hours and 23:00 hours, seven days a week into the quiet rear garden of the hotel which is surrounded by residential gardens and dwellings on three sides in a residential area of York.

It proposes 8 pods which could hold 8 people each, 64 people in total and the external area could hold more once the area is licensed. There is a plan to have a fire bowl as a visual feature which would attract visitors to drink outside the pods and result in raised voices and the applicant has not offered sufficient conditions with the application to control noise from customers other than reminding them to leave quietly.

The applicant has stated that he does not intend on having a bar outside, however, the application as it stands would allow this and there would be a risk that this would increase the ability to increase the flow of alcohol and therefore the amount of noise generated. The location of the Hotel is within close proximity to the race course and once the external area is licensed could be opened to the customers of the race course on race days. There has been no restrictions or controls offered on this access and could lead to noisy behaviour on such days if opened to the public.

In terms of the pods, the sound reduction they would offer is not as yet known and may result in noise breakout, especially when the doors are opened.

The hours

The applicant has agreed to restrict the hours of the outside area on Christmas eve to between 11:00 hours and 21:00 hours, however, we have not been able to agree to the finish times on the normal operating days nor had time to agree more stringent conditions.

As the application stands, there are insufficient conditions to control noise from the licensable activities within the quiet back garden of the hotel in a highly residential setting and Public Protection are unable to support the application without more stringent conditions being offered and an offer to curtail of the hours of use of the garden area from the applicant.

Public Protection are therefore making representation on the grounds of public nuisance.

Michael Golightly

Technical Officer

michael.golightly@york.gov.uk