The Statutory Licensing Sub-Committee convened to consider an application to vary the premises licence for K2/Union at 7-9 Front Street, Consett. The committee was also scheduled to review the minutes from previous meetings held in September 2025. This article will summarise the agenda for the meeting, based on the provided documents. It is important to note that this is only a summary of what was scheduled to be discussed, and there is no information about what was actually discussed or decided.

K2/Union Premises Licence Variation

The primary focus of the meeting was the application submitted by Mr James Edward McDonald, the premises licence holder for K2/Union, to vary the existing premises licence. The application requested:

• An extension of the terminal hour for plays, films, indoor sporting events, live music, recorded music, performance of dance, similar entertainment, and late night refreshment by one hour and 30 minutes, until 03:30 each day.
• An extension of the terminal hour for the sale of alcohol (on sales only) by one hour, until 03:00 each day.

Objections to the Application

Durham Constabulary and the council's Environmental Health Department submitted representations opposing the application, raising concerns about the potential impact on the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

Durham Constabulary Concerns

Durham Constabulary highlighted several points in their objection, as detailed in the Agenda Item 5 - Additional Information from Durham Constabulary document. These included:

• Cumulative Impact: The presence of other late-night venues in close proximity, specifically Chaplains and Singers bar, both of which already operate until 3am. Sergeant Caroline Dickenson of Durham Constabulary, Licensed Economy Team Sergeant, Safeguarding Neighbourhoods Command, expressed the view that there were already sufficient premises open until 3am in Consett. > Durham Constabulary feel that there is more than sufficient premises open until 3am to facilitate the members of the public out at that time of the morning. Geographically, K2/Union, Chaplains and Singers are all within 50 meters of one another.
• Applicant's Capacity: Concerns were raised about Mr McDonald's ability to effectively manage three venues (K2/Union, Chaplains, and Calamity's) simultaneously, given his role as the designated premises supervisor (DPS) at all three. > How can the applicant guarantee or provide confidence that the licensing objectives are being upheld when after 10pm, he would have to be in three places at once?
• History of Disorder: Both K2/Union and Chaplains had been closed in late 2021 following incidents of disorder and concerns for public safety.
• Licensing Policy: Durham County Council's statement of licensing policy 2024-2029 states that the framework hours for an establishment such as K2/Union are 7am until midnight weekdays and 7am until 1am weekends. Durham Constabulary noted that the existing licence already exceeded these framework hours.
• Increase in Incidents: Durham Constabulary provided data on incidents reported between January 2021 and November 2025 for premises on Front Street, Consett. The data indicated an increase in incidents following the granting of a 3am licence to Chaplains in December 2023.
• Temporary Event Notice (TEN) Incident: Durham Constabulary noted that an incident occurred during a temporary event at K2/Union in March 2024, where a member of door staff was punched by an intoxicated male found in possession of cocaine.
• Previous Refusal: Durham Constabulary highlighted that a previous application from Mr McDonald to extend licensable activities at K2/Union to 3am daily had been refused by the Statutory Licensing Sub-Committee on 22nd October 2024.
• Outstanding Parking Tickets and Business Rates: Sergeant Dickenson raised concerns about Mr McDonald's credibility and fitness to be a licence holder, citing a large number of unpaid parking tickets and outstanding business rates for his businesses.

Environmental Health Concerns

The Environmental Health Department also objected to the application, primarily on the grounds of preventing public nuisance. Their concerns included:

• Noise and Public Nuisance: The extension of licensable activities until 03:30 was considered likely to cause noise and public nuisance to nearby residents as patrons left the premises at late hours.
• Residential Proximity: The close proximity of residential properties to the front and rear of the premises was highlighted as a factor increasing the potential for disturbance.
• Exceeding Framework Hours: The proposed variation would significantly exceed the framework hours set out in the council's licensing policy, potentially leading to sleep disturbance and impacting health.
• Cumulative Impact: The Environmental Health Department supported the concerns raised by Durham Constabulary and expressed concern regarding a cumulative impact if the variation was granted.

Responses from Other Responsible Authorities

Public Health and the Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership confirmed they had no comments to make regarding the application. The Planning Authority responded with comments for information only, advising the applicant to submit a pre-application enquiry to check the acceptability of the proposed changes and whether a planning application would be required.

Committee Options

The Report K2 Union Vary Redacted outlined the options available to the sub-committee, which included:

• Granting the variation subject to conditions consistent with the operating schedule and mandatory conditions.
• Granting the variation subject to modified conditions.
• Excluding any of the licensable activities from the scope of the licence.
• Refusing to specify a person on the licence as the Designated Premises Supervisor.
• Rejecting the application.

Review of Previous Meeting Minutes

The committee was also scheduled to review the minutes from the meetings held on:

• 4 September 2025, which concerned an application for the variation of a premises licence for the Seaton Supply Stores, 7 Seaton Lane, Seaham.
• 10 September 2025, which concerned an application for the review of a club premises certificate for Barnard Castle Workingmen's Club and Institute, Galgate, Barnard Castle.
• 17 September 2025, which concerned an application for the grant of a premises licence for 5a North Road, Durham.