Agenda item

            The Building Control Manager informed the Committee that an application had been received for the variation of a Seven-Day Annual Indoor Entertainments Licence in respect of The Speak-Easy, based upon the Council’s standard condition to provide music, singing, dancing or any other entertainment of a like kind.

            He reported that entertainment was provided currently Monday to Sunday from 11.00am till 1.00 a.m.  The licensee had now applied to provide entertainment till 2.00 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  In addition, the applicant had specified six occasions during the year for which approval was sought to provide entertainment to 2.00am should the occurrences fall on either a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening.  The occasions specified by the applicant include Boxing Night, New Year’s Eve, Saint Patrick’s night, Easter Monday, May Day and Halloween.

            The Building Control Manager confirmed that no written representation had been received in relation to the application and that the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland had not objected. In such circumstances, it was normal practice for the Entertainments Licence to be issued under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation.  However, given that the application related to the extension of the hours of entertainment beyond 1.00 a.m., it was being presented to the Committee for consideration.

            He provided details of the two inspections which had been undertaken since the Entertainments Licence had been granted in September 2018 and confirmed that all technical requirements and associated procedures had been found to be satisfactory.

            He reported that there had been four noise complaints received in relation to the premises since it had been operating and that the applicant had undertaken an investigation into the noise complaints and had put in place in an effort to resolve the noise disturbance local residents had experienced.

            He added that Mr. Brian Horgan, acting on behalf of the applicant organisation, was in attendance should the Committee require additional information.

            The Committee agreed that it would be beneficial to hear from Mr. B. Horgan, Head of Campus Food and Drink at Queen’s University, and he was welcomed to the meeting.

            A Member asked Mr. Horgan what he had done in relation to the four noise complaints that had been received from local residents.  Mr. Horgan informed the Committee that the complaints had been received in the first four weeks of operation, during a period of settling in.  He said that he had subsequently taken advice from Building Control officers to mitigate the noise complaints and had taken a number of measures including adjusting the sound system to reduce the bass levels, installed a noise meter and taking regular readings which were recorded in a log book.  Mr. Horgan also informed the Committee that a noise limiter had been installed which, if the noise output reached a critical level, the PA system would cut out.  

            The Committee agreed to vary the Seven-Day Annual Indoor Entertainments Licence for The Speak-Easy, QUB Students’ Union Bar,92-96 Lisburn Road thereby permitting entertainment to take place till 2.00 a.m. the following morning on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and that a condition be attached to the licence to require that the noise limiting device be set at a level as agreed with Officers to prevent excess noise nuisance.

            In addition, the Committee agreed to approve the application to provide entertainment to 2.00am on six specified occasions, should the occurrences fall on either a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening.  The occasions specified were Boxing Night, New Year’s Eve, Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter Monday, May Day and Halloween.