The report of the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing is enclosed.

The Hearing Panel considered a report from the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing concerning an application for a New Premises Licence. The Hearing Panel considered the written papers of the parties submitted and the oral representations of the parties who attended, as well as the relevant legislation.

The applicant attended the hearing and addressed the Hearing Panel on the application, stating that these were difficult times for businesses and the application would enable the venture to make some extra income if additional hours were granted to their licence. Tops Pizza was a franchise chain, operating since 1988 with numerous outlets in London. This would be the first outlet in the Manchester area. The chain was different to other pizza take away restaurants. There would be 8 staff covering each of 2 shifts to cover the hours. If the request for extra hours were to be granted, there would be a full team of 25 staff. The main reason for the request of extra hours was to provide a longer service for customers and increase takings at the business.

In responding to questions from the Hearing Panel, the applicant stated that:

• Staff would cover a 6 hour shift maximum
• That there were good transport links on Stockport Road for staff
• The business would employ local people
• That the unit also had vehicles to assist staff with attending and getting home if they lived far away
• The business had been trading for 4 weeks
• With regard to the Licensing Objectives, the applicant stated that
  • they would safeguard children by refusing any orders placed in person or over the phone
  • Staff were trained in this regard
  • The premises was equipped with CCTV
  • The premises would operate litter picking, public safety and tackle noise issues
• The business would refuse to serve school children on their lunch break
• They have had students show their ID to get served
• There were concerns that young people may have stolen bank cards to place orders
• The applicant then confirmed that children would not be served during the hours of the requested extension only
• The applicant would pass information back to the staff regarding refusals and the training around this after the hearing
• The head office of the franchise had provided training materials but there was not currently a refusal log in operation
• The applicant had not been trained in this regard but did have a food hygiene certificate
• The premises would have automatic doors to assist with noise break out and the extraction fan was silenced to further eliminate noise
• Deliveries of products to the business were arranged fortnightly in the afternoon
• Waste collection was every Wednesday and Friday in the afternoon
• The business displayed banners regarding patrons not loitering around the premises and staff would follow a rota to make regular litter picks
• The applicant had received some conflict management training and this would help staff not make incidents worse, to de-escalate incidents and resolve issues quickly and calmly
• There would be provision for sale  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

The report of the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing is enclosed.

The Panel were informed that this application had been withdrawn and therefore no hearing was required.