Issue - meetings

The Guildhall Poole Limited have made application to vary the premises licence for The Guildhall Tavern, 15-17 Market Street, Poole.

The application is to request the inclusion of the garden dining area within the approved licensed area to allow the sale of alcohol and music to be played there.

Specifically, the applicant would like to be able to provide al fresco dining and drinks in the garden for up to 30 guests between April and September on Monday to Saturday - 12:00 to 22:30 and on Sunday - 12:00 to 18:00.

Sales of alcohol can take place inside the premises, which is currently licensed, but a sale cannot be made in the garden area. As the licence permits on and off sales, the off-sale element is currently relied on to provide alcohol outside. If the application is granted alcohol sales will also be able to take place in the garden.

The application also seeks to provide music in the outside dining area on Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 22:30 and on Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00.

Background music, if kept at a level where people can speak comfortably without raising their voices, is not licensable.

The Live Music Act 2012 provided deregulatory changes resulting in no licence being required for recorded music or unamplified live music between the hours of 08:00 and 23:00 on any premises and for amplified live music only on premises authorised to sell alcohol on those premises.

The outside dining area of the premises are not currently within the licensed area therefore amplified live music in the garden dining area of these premises does not fall within the exemption, until such time as it is included within the licensed area.

The application states that live music (amplified or acoustic) in the garden will only occur outside of the licence required hours i.e. on Friday evenings between 17:00 and 22:30, Saturdays between 12:00 and 22.30hrs, Sundays from 12:00 until 18:00 and Bank Holidays from 12:00 until 22:30, and only in the months April-September.

This matter is brought to the Sub-Committee for determination.