Agenda item

The Licensing Officer introduced the report and drew attention to the following:

As with other applications for concessions, this is setting a principle rather than a specific trader.

·       The application has been drafted by the concession team on behalf of BCC, the trading will be on council land. It is a premium location subject to tender, with the applicant contract over 3 years. It is not possible to trade at this location without a licence.

·       There will be a consultation process to identify any problematic issues. The licensing manager could dispense with consultation if the tender offer is the same as this application. The applicant will still need to prove they are fit and proper.

·       There have been two representations on this application. The two conditions set out at para.11 must be applied (no generators, no trading during other events).

·       The location is Eastville Park at the car park next to the rapid charging hub. The will be an offsite vehicle serving hot and cold drinks and ice cream.

·       Both representations mention an ice cream van operating at the proposed location, we believe this is unlicensed. Think it may be operating unlawfully.

·       This concession is part of an ongoing project to generate income to maintain parks. In this case, the income from the concession will maintain the toilet block. Eastville is a large park with very little facilities. The Friends of Eastville Park want to reinvigorate the area to show the park is useful and should be invested in. This concession should bring more people into the park. It is a principle that has worked elsewhere.

·       This concession can also reduce the amount of anti-social behaviour as there is the presence of a trader. We would have preferred the concession in the park itself, but had to be within the charging point area for cost reasons.

·       We are bringing in something that fits the community, a quality offer, not just a burger van. The contract split is 70% quality, 30% price. It is about good products, local business, recycling, etc. A recent case is St Andrew’s Park, which has a high-quality offer.

After questioning from the committee, the following information was confirmed:

·       That the Friends of Eastville Park are supportive of the application.

·       There was an ice cream concession on the site previously, but this expired last year. The ice cream van currently operating on the site is unlicensed.

·       There have been concerns about potential noise nuisances at the park, but that the proposed concession is unlikely to generate much noise.  

·       The committee was keen to see a local business and local workers operate the concession. While this is not mandatory in the tender, it will contribute to a quality score.  

·       The operator has to manage the waste on the site. BCC monitors to see whether that is happening. We are aware it is a large site and waste can travel. In other parks this system works well, it is very rare that additional cleaning support is required. People generally use the bins provided by the concession.

·       It is unlikely that a potential operator will need to appear at the committee if they fulfil all the concession criteria. If officers have concerns, they will raise them with the PSP Chair and refer to the committee if necessary.

RESOLVED (unanimous decision)

To grant the application for a Street Trader Consent at Eastville Park subject to all conditions that would usually apply to such a Consent and the two additional conditions recommended by officers in the Committee report

Reasons for Decision

The Committee were happy to grant the application because the provision of a quality catering facility at Eastville Park would be a welcome addition for members of the public.  The Committee also considered it would be beneficial for the concession contract to contain a provision about local employment, which the representative from the Concessions Team said she would take on board.

The objections to the application made reference to an ice cream van which was apparently trading without permission so this was not a relevant consideration.

The concession process would ensure that only a quality product would be on offer and that the suitability of both the trader and trading unit would be carefully considered, thereby ensuring consistency with the Council’s street trading policy.