The Licensing Committee met to discuss a request to vary the premises licence for Roundhay Park, including increasing the maximum capacity for events, removing indoor sporting events and boxing or wrestling entertainment from the scope of the licence, and updating the licence conditions. The committee heard from the applicant and those who had submitted representations in opposition to the application. A decision on the application was then deferred.

Roundhay Park Premises Licence Variation

Leeds City Council, as the premises licence holder, applied to vary the premises licence for Roundhay Park, Princess Avenue, Leeds, LS8. The proposed changes included:

• Increasing the maximum capacity for events from 19,999 to 69,999 people.
• Removing indoor sporting events, boxing, and wrestling entertainment from the scope of the licence.
• Replacing existing conditions with updated ones.

The application was brought before the Licensing Committee due to the receipt of representations from the public. According to the Licensing Sub Committee Terms of Reference, the Licensing Committee is required to determine applications relating to events with a capacity of 30,000 people or more.

The report provided to the committee stated that the applicant had agreed to incorporate additional conditions proposed by the Environmental Protection Team, and that the representation from the Environmental Protection Team had subsequently been withdrawn.

The application form stated that Roundhay Park is a Leeds city park owned and managed by Leeds City Council's Climate, Energy and Greenspaces service, and is open to the public 365 days a year. The application form also stated that:

Roundhay Park has been iconic venue for large events throughout the years, in addition it provides a vital function for community groups and charities looking to host events to raise funds. All events wanting to use Roundhay Park are subject to our application process and our Health and Safety procedures and where applicable Leeds Safety Advisory Group.

The report listed the options available to the Licensing Committee as:

• Grant the variation as requested.
• Grant the variation whilst imposing additional conditions and/or altering in any way the proposed operating schedule.
• Exclude any licensable activities to which the application relates.
• Reject the whole or part of the application.

Representations

The committee received four letters of representation from members of the public. The primary concerns raised in the representations related to:

• Noise disturbance
• Traffic and transport disruption
• Public safety
• Wildlife and the environment

One representation stated:

One of the most serious issues is the traffic chaos and road closures that accompany major events in Roundhay Park, which would likely worsen with an increased capacity of 69,999. During existing annual events (such as the World Triathlon Series and the Ironman competition), road closures in the area effectively trap residents in their homes, preventing normal travel and daily activities.

Another representation highlighted concerns about noise:

By increasing capacity to ~70k, the intensity of noise is likely to increase proportionally. A crowd more than triple the current limit will generate louder departure noise (shouting, car horns in traffic, etc.), and event organisers may feel empowered to host more concerts or music festivals at a scale previously seen only rarely.

Another representation raised concerns about the impact on wildlife and the environment, stating that increasing the capacity would have a negative impact on wildlife native to the park, and that the waste produced by these events cannot be adequately cleaned up and creates areas of scrub-land that endure for years.

Suggested Measures

The report included a document setting out suggested measures for outdoor events, covering topics such as:

• All Four Licensing Objectives
• Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS)
• Incident Recording
• The Prevention of Crime and Disorder
• Age Verification and Responsible Alcohol Sales
• CCTV
• Search and Admissions
• Public Safety
• Health and Safety
• Crowd Management Personnel
• Counter Terrorism
• Fire Safety
• Special Effects
• Medical
• Communication Systems
• Signage and Illumination
• Refreshments
• Sanitation and Drinking Water
• Disabled Facilities
• Skin and Body Piercing (or similar)
• The Prevention of Public Nuisance
• Noise and Vibration
• Waste Management
• Protection of Children from Harm
• Adult Entertainment

The document suggested control measures to help meet the four licensing objectives¹. Applicants could accept the control measures as part of their application by ticking the relevant boxes, or offer additional or alternative measures. All measures offered would become conditions of the licence.