Agenda item

            The Committee was advised that Section 14 of the Street Trading Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 permitted the Council to issue a Temporary Street Trading Licence for special events, such as fairs and festivals, where a full-term Licence may not be appropriate and to attach to it any conditions which it might deem necessary.  Such a Licence could not, however, be granted for a period exceeding seven days and no more than five could be granted to a person in any year.

            The Head of Building Control reported that an application for the grant of a Temporary Street Trading Licence had been received from Mr. B. McGeown, the licensee of Aether and Echo, 1-3 Garfield Street.  The applicant was proposing to sell, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Friday, 27th February, food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from outside his premises, as part of a music event which he was organising.  However, in order to enable him to apply to the Petty Sessions Court for an Occasional Liquor Licence, he required from the Council a Temporary Street Trading Licence.  He explained that the event would necessitate the erection of a stage outside Aether and Echo, which would face into Lower Garfield Street in order to avoid creating a distraction for drivers in nearby Lower North Street.  The applicant would be seeking from Transport NI the necessary consent to place the stage and crowd barriers on Lower Garfield Street and had confirmed that pedestrian access between that street and others nearby would be maintained at all times.  The Head of Building Control added that the views of Belfast City Centre Management, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Transport NI had been sought as part of the application process and that no issues had been raised by them.

            He reported further that Mr. McGeown had, earlier that day, requested that the Committee give consideration also to granting the Temporary Street Trading Licence for the night of Saturday, 28th February, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., and had indicated that he might wish to hold further events throughout the year.  The Head of Building Control pointed out that an additional consultation exercise would be required to be undertaken for that night, as would be the case for any further applications submitted by the licensee.  He suggested that the Committee might wish to obtain from Mr. McGeown clarification around his request and any other issues arising from the application.  The Committee agreed that that would be beneficial and Mr. B. McGeown was admitted to the meeting.

            Mr. McGeown informed the Committee that the events which he was proposing to hold outside his premises would bring much-needed vibrancy to the Lower Garfield Street area of the City.  He explained that the music event which was planned for 27th February would bring to a close in Northern Ireland the ‘Guinness Amplify’ series of events, which had replaced the annual ‘Arthur’s Day’ within the licensed trade.  He explained that his request to include the night of Saturday, 28th February within his application had been due to the fact that the stage would not be dismantled until after that weekend, which presented him with an opportunity to offer additional entertainment.  He added that he had engaged fully with the Council, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other agencies and that that process would continue in the lead up to and during the events.

            Mr. McGeown thanked the Committee and retired from the meeting.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed, in its capacity as Licensing Authority, to grant to Mr. B. McGeown a Temporary Street Trading Licence permitting him to sell on Friday, 27th February, between the hours of 8.00 p.m. and 11.00 p.m., food, alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages outside Aether and Echo, 1-3 Lower Garfield Street.  The Committee agreed also that, should no objections be received as a result of the consultation exercise in relation to Saturday, 28th February, authority be granted to the Lead Operations Officer/Health of Environmental Health to extend the Licence to cover that night.