Agenda item

5.1

The Chief Licensing Officer submitted a report to inform and brief Members with regard to the law and process for having a Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) and to determine whether the City requires a CIA.

5.2

Steve Lonnia (Chief Licensing Officer) introduced the report and gave background information, stating that the Licensing Authority was required to prepare, consult and publish a Statement of Licensing Policy every five years, although Sheffield preferred to review and consult on its policy every three years.  He stated that there were over 200 CIAs in England and Wales many of which had been in place for a number of years.  Sheffield does not have an assessment in place to cover the city centre, or indeed, any area of the city.  He reported that a great deal of work had already been carried out in consultation with South Yorkshire Police, the Fire and Rescue Authority, the local Health Service, Public Health, representatives of local residents and businesses and premises licence holders, as it was felt that the licensing objectives were not always being promoted within the proposed CIA area as outlined in Appendix “G” to the report.  He informed Members that part of the consultation process was to gather information as to the reasons why the Licensing Authority was considering a CIA, an indication why the area was being considered and whether it would be relevant to the whole or part of future premises licence applications received and the nature of the business. Mr. Lonnia added that the number of licensed premises covered by a CIA could be determined by Members.

5.3

Steve Lonnia informed Members that a Working Group had been formed in 2017 following concerns that had been expressed by residents, local businesses and elected Members regarding the negative impact the number and concentration of licensed premises were having on the city centre.  The Group was set up to determine whether there was a need for a CIA and the findings were set out in an Options Report outlined in Appendix “C” to the report, and the responses and a summary of the public survey and consultation which had been carried out were attached at Appendices “D” and “E” to the report.

5.4

In response to questions from Members of the Committee, Steve Lonnia stated that he hoped the timescale for implementation would take about 12 weeks but was dependent on how quickly the most up to date evidence could be gathered relating to the proposed area, to enable the consultation process to begin.  He said the triggers for considering the CIA was that concerns had been raised from the Police, Sheffield City Centre Residents Action Group and Public Health that crime statistics were getting worse and there were significant changes to crime within the city centre.  Other areas in the city could be considered if the same triggers were activated and there were causes for concern.  He commented that the area could be extended, but the difficulty would be in determining where to draw the line. 

5.5

Members expressed a concern that the implementation of a CIA may lead to the problems of anti-social behaviour being moved into another area.  Steve Lonnia responded that, through partnership working, if that was the case, the issues would be tackled as and when they occurred.  He felt that following completion of the Heart of the City 2 development, Carver Street, which was considered to be a hotspot for anti-social behaviour, would be encompassed within the development and the ambience of that area would change.

5.6

Steve Lonnia informed Members that, following the consultation, he would bring a report back to the Committee to consider whether the area needed to be reviewed, or to be extended if required.  He also stated that he would be having discussions with the Planning Authority relating to the City Centre Masterplan in an attempt to try and match the requirements of both planning and licensed premises, that where residential properties were located, licensed premises were not opened underneath them and also to create “zones” in different areas in the city centre which would separate the two out.  Mr. Lonnia added that, although the law states that there must be a review every three years, there was no reason why a review could not be carried out at any time, if required.

5.7

RESOLVED: That the Committee, after considering all the information contained in the report and the recommendations made, authorises the Chief Licensing Officer to carry out all the necessary work required to undertake a formal consultation and bring a final report back to a future meeting of the Committee.