Agenda item

            The Assistant Building Control Manager drew the Committee’s attention to an application which had been received in relation to a number of proposed events which would be taking place within a marquee in Writers’ Square, as part of the Belfast City Blues Festival. He explained that the venue was managed currently by the Department for Social Development, which had been granted recently a Seven-day Annual Marquee Entertainments Licence under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation, and that it had, earlier in the meeting, obtained a Seven-day Annual Outdoor Entertainments Licence. Under the terms of the Marquee Entertainments Licence, entertainment was permitted to take place from Monday to Sunday between the hours of 11.30 a.m. and 11.00 p.m.

            He reported that the Belfast City Blues Festival, which would be taking place from Friday 24th till Sunday 26th June, had been held for the past seven years within a number of licensed premises across the City and that this was the first time that it would be taking place in this venue. The Festival was intended to celebrate the musical heritage of the City and would include over forty-five live performances by local and international blues artists, music workshops and archive footage of local music artists. The organisers had requested that the Committee give consideration to permitting entertainment to run until midnight on all three nights of the Festival in order to offer patrons every opportunity to maximise their musical experience. The programme of entertainment was in the process of being finalised but would be similar to that of previous years. 

            The Assistant Building Control Manager pointed out that, since the application related to the extension of the hours permitted under an existing licence condition, rather than the variation of the Entertainments Licence itself, there had been no requirement for it to be advertised. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland had offered no objections to the application and they would, prior to the Festival, be reviewing public safety, traffic management, transport and wider operational issues. He added that the Building Control Service was working closely with the organisers to identify and liaise with those in the area who might be affected by the event, including St. Anne’s Cathedral, and were developing an appropriate letter to be issued to local residents providing details around the programme of events and their proposal to operate beyond 11.00 p.m. and would be reviewing the event documentation upon its submission. In terms of noise issues, he indicated that officers would be liaising with the Council’s Environmental Protection Unit and the organisers to ensure that an appropriate noise management plan was formulated, which would ensure that noise from the Festival would not cause undue disturbance to local residents and businesses.   

            The Committee agreed, in its capacity as Licensing Authority, that the standard hours on the Seven-day Annual Marquee Entertainments Licence for Writers’ Square be extended to enable entertainment to take place till midnight on Friday 24th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26thJune, as part of the Belfast City Blues Festival, subject to all technical requirements being met to the satisfaction of Council officers.