Agenda and minutes

Venue: Brunswick Room - Guildhall, Bath. View directions

Contact: Sean O'Neill  01225 395090

Items
No. Item

52.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURE

The Chair will draw attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out under Note 5 on the previous page.

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Officer read out the procedure.

53.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Minutes:

Cllr Horstmann substituted for Cllr Shelford.

54.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

Minutes:

There were none.

55.

TO ANNOUNCE ANY URGENT BUSINESS AGREED BY THE CHAIR

Minutes:

There was none.

56.

MINUTES OF 6TH OCTOBER 2016 pdf icon PDF 123 KB

Minutes:

These were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

57.

TAXI PROCEDURE

The Chair will, if required, explain the procedure to be followed for the next item of business.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair drew attention to the procedure to be followed for the next item of business.

58.

CONSIDERATION OF VEHICLE SUITABILITY TO BE LICENSED AS A PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLE pdf icon PDF 11 MB

Minutes:

Applicant: Jonathan Walker (Managing Director of 15 Great Pulteney Street), represented by Nicola Smith (Squire Patton Boggs) and accompanied by Ian Taylor (proprietor of the Abbey Hotel Group and part owner of the vehicle) and Steve Webb (proprietor of tukshop).

 

The Senior Public Protection Officer summarised the application as set out in section 5 of the report.

 

The Sub-Committee RESOLVED to adjourn so that Members could inspect the vehicle.

 

After the Sub-Committee had completed the inspection and reconvened, Ms Smith stated the case for the applicant.

 

She said that an application to grant a private hire licence for a Tuk Tuk, a motorised tricycle, might seem unusual, but it was not unprecedented. In fact several local authorities had granted private hire licences for them. She reminded Members that the legislation gave them a wide discretion over the types of vehicle that they could license for private hire use, subject to their being satisfied that the vehicle was suitable, safe and comfortable for passengers. She would highlight the key details that would, she believed, demonstrate this. It was true that the vehicle did not meet the Council’s standard conditions for private hire vehicles. It did not have four doors, its engine capacity was 200cc, not 1400cc, and it was not a right-hand-drive vehicle. The maximum speed of the vehicle was 35-37 miles per hour. It had no fixed doors, but the covering could be pulled down in inclement weather. The vehicle had been imported from India and seat belts installed in the UK to UK standards. A maximum of three passengers could be seated in the rear of the vehicle with the driver sitting in the front. There were three seat belts in the rear. The vehicle had been granted Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval this year. A copy of the approval certificate was attached to Mr Webb’s written submission. This demonstrated that the vehicle met relevant standards for use in this country, despite the lack of EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval for this type of vehicle.

 

She explained that the vehicle was intended to be used by the Abbey Hotel Group for carrying customers. The Group comprised the Abbey Hotel, the Villa Magdala and a hotel soon to open at 15 Great Pulteney Street. Hotel customers would be able to book the vehicle to pick guests up from the station, to visit locations in the City or to transport them to other hotels in the Group. Passengers would not be picked up at the roadside and the vehicle would only operate in the City itself. There would be standard fares advertised in advance. The use of the vehicle would have environmental benefits: its emissions were less than those of a standard car and it would cause less damage to roads. Its lower speed would give passengers more time to appreciate the sights of the City. The vehicle was manufactured by the well-known motorcycle manufacturer Piaggio specifically for public transport use. These vehicles are commonplace in many countries and had been licensed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.