Agenda item

The Regulatory Officer (Licensing) introduced the report to the Sub-Committee and outlined the application and the licence that was being applied for.

The applicant, Mr Paul Wadsworth addressed the Sub-Committee. He explained that the purpose of the event was to hold an invite only party for his 60^th birthday. He added that the invites would be sent to friends and family so that they could purchase a ticket through the Eventbrite website, with the proceeds then going to charity.

He explained to the Sub-Committee that prior to the meeting he had been able to have a conversation with Rebecca Wilkinson, Avon and Somerset Police and that some progress had been made with regard to an agreement on additional conditions.

Councillor Shaun Hughes asked the applicant to confirm that this licence would be used for a one-off event and not annually.

Mr Wadsworth replied that it would 100% be a one-off event.

Councillor Hughes stated that he would expect the sale of alcohol to cease earlier than the end time of the event and asked if this would be considered by the applicant.

Mr Wadsworth replied that he was willing to amend the hours for the sale of alcohol.

Councillor Hughes asked the applicant how any sales of alcohol would be prevented from being taken to the campsite area.

Mr Wadsworth replied that a bar management service would be in place and that the exit of the event site / entrance to the campsite would be marshalled at all times by security staff.

Councillor Hughes asked what the expected capacity of the event was to be.

Mr Wadsworth replied that it would be a maximum of 500 people.

Councillor Hughes asked how the capacity figure had been calculated.

Mr Wadsworth replied that he had used guidance provided by the Health & Safety Executive. He added that the size of the site was 2.5 acres.

Councillor Hughes asked what toilet facilities would be present at the event.

Mr Wadsworth replied that an external company would be hired to put adequate facilities in place.

Councillor George Tomlin asked if the access route to the site was suitable for emergency vehicles.

Mr Wadsworth replied that access to the site was 3.9m wide which is large enough for emergency vehicles to use. He added that there is a secondary exit that can be used to access an open field at the opposite end of the event site.

Councillor Tomlin asked what provision would in place in terms of lighting for the site.

Mr Wadsworth replied that lights for the event site would be run off the house mains electric and have a battery back-up in place. He said that temporary lighting would be put in place on the campsite. He added that the road in between the two sites has street lights and that the path to the side of the house would be illuminated, with signage in place for escape routes.

Councillor Tomlin asked if the exit routes of the site would be marshalled.

Mr Wadsworth replied that the lane to the main road would be marshalled and said that at peak times they would hold attendees so that they could cross the road in a safe manner. He added that road traffic calming measures were already in place adjacent to the site and that there was a pavement in place at all times.

Councillor Hughes asked what measures, such as DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) accredited staff, would be in place to assure for the safety of any children attending the event.

Mr Wadsworth replied that he would expect the marshals / security in attendance to be DBS compliant. He added that he had not fully considered this element of the licence as yet.

Councillor Hughes asked the applicant how many SIA staff he expected to be on site for the event.

Mr Wadsworth replied 20.

Councillor Hughes asked how public complaints / issues with the event would be managed.

Mr Wadsworth replied that security staff would be fully briefed about the event and that an Event Manager would be contactable at all times by radio. He added that notices would be put in place around the site with a phone number for people to ring if any issues did occur.

Councillor Hughes asked the applicant what the overall demographic of the expected attendees would be.

Mr Wadsworth replied that in the main the ages of the attendees would be between 40-60.

The Chair referred to another lane that was adjacent to the event site and asked how this would be monitored.

Mr Wadsworth replied that this lane belongs to a neighbouring property and that it was only accessible through their garden.

Councillor Hughes asked if a Fire Risk Assessment had been carried out for the event.

Mr Wadsworth replied that this was in place to be carried out if the licence was granted.

Councillor Hughes asked if a ‘lost child’ area would be set aside on the site.

Mr Wadsworth replied that a control room / area was planned to be in place which could be used if such an event occurred.

Councillor Hughes asked the applicant if they had received any feedback regarding the event from their neighbours.

Mr Wadsworth replied that he had received questions over clarity that it is to be a one-off event and whether fireworks will be used, which they will not. He added that he had personally spoken to all his immediate neighbours about the event.

Councillor Hughes asked how the sound from the planned live and recorded music would be mitigated.

Mr Wadsworth replied that the sound levels would be checked prior to the event and said that the stage area will be sited at the bottom of the field, the furthest point from the neighbouring properties. He added that all immediate neighbours were planning to attend the event, save for one who was planning to go and stay with family whilst the event takes place.

Councillor Hughes asked how the arrival of vehicles to the site would be managed.

Mr Wadsworth replied that they expect attendees that are due to camp to arrive from 6pm on the Friday and that this figure would be around 100 people in total. He added that the main road was a B road, allowing for two-way traffic, and that he did not feel that traffic from the event would cause a problem for the area.

Rebecca Wilkinson, Avon and Somerset Police addressed the Sub-Committee and informed them that she had met with the applicant at the event site in February and that positive conversations have been had in terms of emergency evacuation and site access and egress.

She said she understood why the applicant had not yet carried out further physical changes to the site prior to the licence being agreed.

She explained that alongside any further agreed conditions she felt that the event could be agreed by having both a Traffic Management Plan and Event Management Plan submitted to the Council four weeks prior to the event.

She stated that she could send the proposed conditions to the Council’s Licensing and Legal officers and would be satisfied for the event to go ahead if these measures were in place.

Councillor Hughes asked if the proposed conditions could be explained to the members of the Sub-Committee.

The Service Manager, Legal Services stated that any new information could be admissible at the meeting as long as this was with the consent of both parties. She added that the Sub-Committee could also give consideration to adjourning the meeting so that they and other parties that had registered an objection could view the proposed conditions.

The Chair asked the applicant to confirm the planned date of the event.

Mr Wadsworth replied that it was to be the weekend of 26^th-28^th June 2026.

The Chair commented that he appreciated the work that had been carried out to find a resolution, but felt that further time was required to take the new information into account. 

Decision & Reasons

Members were asked to determine an application for a new Premises Licence at High Acres, Tunley, Bath, BA2 0DR.

Members heard from the applicant Mr Wadsworth and Ms Wilkinson who is an Event Safety Advisor for the Avon and Somerset Police. At the conclusion of Ms Wilkinson’s representations, she indicated that she and the applicant had engaged in a dialogue immediately prior to the hearing and that the applicant was willing to offer some conditions that were acceptable to the police.

Members noted that they had not had sight of these proposed conditions, nor had the Council’s Specialist Officer for Health and Safety in the Council’s Public Protection Team who was not present at the hearing. In the circumstances, Members retired to consider whether or not to adjourn the meeting to consider this new information which would be in the form of written representations.

Members determined to adjourn the meeting pursuant to regulation 12 of the Licensing Act (Hearings) Regulations 2005 on the basis that they considered this to be necessary for its consideration of representations. Members adjourned the meeting to 30^th April 2026 or such other date as may be identified and notice to be given to the parties.