Tuesday 24 June 2008

A resolution, of sorts

This post should have been written last week, so apols for the lateness.

After nigh-on five hours in a Brecon Council Chamber last Tuesday, the Globe was given a license on drastically reduced terms, relative to the original application. Its alcohol-serving (in fact, opening) hours will end at 11pm Sunday-Thursday and 12pm Friday and Saturday, and conditions were built in: that no-one will be admitted after 11pm or drink outside after 9pm, and that being run as an arts centre is stipulated in the license. Much of this - not least the reduced hours - goes beyond the remodelled application agreed with the police, which proves the hearing was not in vain.

Not at all bad, all told, and quite a relief for those who had serious worries. For H.E.LP, we think this counts as a 3-2 win rather than a 4-0 victory, but that's cool.

All kinds of stuff happened at the hearing, which I'll write about asap. Oh, and it looks like we'll carry on meeting to discuss/act on at least a few other issues.

Monday 16 June 2008

And so to business

Sorry to not have posted for a shockingly long time - not much has happened, aside from a meeting of the H.E.L.P committee, and the long, slow build-up to the hearing on The Globe's Licensing Application, which is tomorrow at 11.30am in Brecon.

In advance, anyone who sent in a representation should have been contacted by Josie Evans, the Licensing Officer, with a copy of her report. To cut to the quick: the Globe's application seems to have been quite drastically remodelled in agreement with Dyfed-Powys Police. There is now no mention of films or plays, and the suggested hours for alcohol sales have come down from 10am - 2am to 10 am - midnight (weekdays), and from 10am - 3am to 10am - 12.30pm (weekends).

This seems a mixed bag: some progress as far as the hours are concerned, but a fair bit of confusion about whether The Globe's early claims to be an arts venue now amount to very much. The agreement with the police only mentions:

- Live Music indoors
- Recorded music indoors
- performance of dance indoors
- Provision of facilities for making music indoors
- Provision of facilities for dancing indoors

... Along with a requirement to notify the police 14 days in advance of "any youth disco or youth-orientated event" (again, not very "arts venue"). In addition, there are suggested limits on glasses being taken outside, people being admitted after 11pm, and making sure a smoking area "causes minimal noise nuisance to residents". A question: how will any of that be enforced?

Anyway, the hearing is in a little over 12 hours now. I'll post again when it's over.