Agenda item

            The Head of Building Control informed the Committee that an application had been received from the organisers of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival to hold a nine-day music event from 1st till 9th May within a marquee in Custom House Square. The Festival had been taking place for the past sixteen years and offered patrons a wide range of comedy, drama, literature and music events at several venues across the City.  He explained that the Custom House Square was managed currently by the Department for Social Development and that it held a Seven-day Annual Outdoor Entertainments Licence and a Seven-day Annual Marquee Entertainments Licence for the venue. Those were transferred to promoters for the duration of their events.

            He pointed out that, under the terms of the Marquee Entertainments Licence, entertainment was permitted to take place from Monday to Sunday between 11:30 a.m. and 11.00 p.m.  The organisers had requested that the Committee give consideration to permitting entertainment to run until midnight on five nights of the Festival, namely, Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd, Sunday 3rd, Friday 8th and Saturday 9th May.  That request had been made on the basis that the additional hour would enable local support acts to be added to the event programme and would provide patrons with sufficient time to avail of local restaurants before attending events. He added that, since the Committee report had been drafted, the organisers had booked an additional night’s entertainment on 30thApril, however, that would cease at 11.00 p.m., in line with the terms of the current Entertainments Licence.

            He reported that officers of the Building Control Service had, in previous years, undertaken inspections of the venue whilst entertainment had been taking place and had had no issues regarding health, safety and welfare management. In terms of this year’s Festival, he confirmed that officers of the Building Control Service and the Environmental Protection Unit were working with the organisers to ensure that all technical and noise issues were complied with.  The organisers would, in accordance with the conditions attached to the Entertainments Licence, write to local residents advising them of the programme of events and their desire to provide entertainment beyond 11.00 p.m. on the aforementioned five nights.  He added that the Police Service of Northern Ireland had offered no objection to the application.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed, in its capacity as Licensing Authority, that the standard hours on the Seven-day Annual Marquee Entertainments Licence for Custom House Square be extended to enable entertainment to take place till midnight on Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd, Sunday 3rd, Friday 8th, and Saturday 9th May, 2015, as part of the Cathedral Arts Festival, subject to all technical requirements being met to the satisfaction of Council officers and with the following conditions remaining on the Licence:

i.    should the Council receive a significant number of complaints regarding noise or the complaint is of such significant impact, authority is granted to the Director of Health and Environmental Services, in consultation with the Town Solicitor, to reduce the finishing time for any subsequent nights of the event, in which case, the promoter will be required to make contingency arrangements; and

ii.   all letters forwarded by promoters to residents must advise that, should they have objections or concerns regarding an event providing entertainment beyond 11.00 p.m., they should contact the Building Control Service.