The Licensing Sub Committee Hearing Panel met to consider an application for a premises licence variation. The key item for discussion was the application concerning Stage & Radio. The report pack included a report from the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing, and a supplementary agenda provided additional information from the applicant.

Application for a Premises Licence Variation - Stage & Radio

The Licensing Sub Committee Hearing Panel was scheduled to consider an application for a premises licence variation for Stage & Radio, located at 43 Port Street, Manchester, M1 2EQ.

Wakil Ahmed, the premises licence holder, applied to vary the existing premises licence. The proposal included:

• Amending the plans attached to the premises licence to reflect the actual layout of the venue.
• Updating the conditions of the licence.
• Extending the hours for the sale of alcohol and regulated entertainment to 11am to 4am every day.
• Extending the hours for late night refreshment to match the alcohol sales hours.

The reasons given for the proposed variation included a routine visit from the council's licensing team which revealed that the premises licence plans did not match the actual layout. The applicant also sought to align the alcohol sales hours on Mondays to Wednesdays with those already permitted on Thursdays to Sundays, and to provide more flexibility for music events, reducing the need for Temporary Events Notices¹.

The application sought to delete existing outdated conditions and replace them with modern, enforceable conditions within a new operating plan. Following a representation from the authority's Licensing and Out Of Hours team, a new set of conditions was agreed, covering noise management, customer dispersal, the smoking area, and waste management.

Several representations were received regarding the application.

• The Licensing and Out of Hours Compliance Team initially raised concerns about the potential impact on the licensing objectives, but later withdrew their objection based on the agreed conditions.
• A Piccadilly Ward Councillor raised concerns regarding anti-social behaviour and noise nuisance, especially in relation to residents of nearby new residential developments.
• One resident raised concerns regarding noise nuisance from music emanating from the premises, especially during the proposed extension of hours into the early morning.

The report pack included a letter of support from Music Venue Trust, which described Stage and Radio as a venue of historic cultural significance, hosting live music since 1946 and being an important hub of grassroots music and cultural activity.

The report from the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing noted that the Licensing Act 2003 requires the Panel to consider the application with a view to promoting the licensing objectives, taking into account any representations received, national guidance, and the council's licensing policy statement.

The Manchester Statement of Licensing Policy outlines general principles that will be applied to licensing hearings, the role of the licensing objectives in decision-making, and the determination of each case on its own merits. It also includes special policies such as LASP3, regarding the operation of Challenge 25 in age-verification policies.

The report recommended that the Panel determine the application.