Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting were formally approved.

To receive any apologies for absence

None

To receive any declarations of interest

None

The Chair set out the hearing, noting that individuals who wished to speak on the issue would have five minutes to do so.

S Mcdonald set out the case. The application was for the grant of a new premises licence for Tornadoes Sports Education and Leisure, Miswell Lane Sports Pavilion, Miswell Lane, Tring, Hertfordshire, which sought  authorisation to sell alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises. The applicant and those persons who made representations had been invited to attend the meeting to address the Committee and it was noted that details of those speaking had been forwarded to members ahead of the meeting. The Committee was informed that the options available were set out in the introductory section of the report and the Committee was reminded that any steps taken must be considered appropriate in order to promote one or more of the licensing objectives and that full and clear reasons should be given on how their decision was reached.

S Bailey, the Applicant, advised that Tornadoes Sports Education and Leisure was an incorporated charity established around two years ago to move Tring Tornadoes Junior Sports Club to an incorporated charity, and that a benefit was that the charitable operations around sports and activity could be expanded. Over the last two years, membership of around 500 children playing football and 100 playing netball had increased to nearly 800 members. Operations had been expanded into Berkhamsted and the charity also owned Phoenix Berkhamsted netball club. The charity had now taken over Tring Corinthians as well as adding a veterans team to the portfolio based out of Miswell Lane. Miswell Lane has been a recreation ground for around 60 years with a clubhouse and changing room block, which is a Dacorum Borough Council asset. The lease was taken on in March 2023. The hub is important for the charity to run its operations and it is also a central part of the charity's developing social community across its membership.

S Bailey confirmed that the first application is for 11am-11pm, Monday to Sunday, and that this was primarily driven by advice given that the application should take into account what could be required during the organisation's occupancy. The expectation is to not be open for the hours stated in the application, though there will be a demand that evolves over time. It was noted that Tring Athletic and Tring Rugby Club have facilities open at the weekends and have the ability to be open during the week, though this is driven by usage and member demand. It was stated that the expectation over time was to evolve club operations based on membership demand but with sensitivity to the proximity of the neighbours.

S Bailey advised that the current operations were training on Saturday mornings from 9am to 12pm for 3 age groups, men's senior football on a Saturday once a month, 2 U15 teams on Sunday mornings and girls' football training on Monday evenings. S Bailey commented that available playing space  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.