Resolved: That Cllr. Clark be appointed Chairman of the meeting.

Cllr. Clark declared that he knew Mr. G. Ryan as a former Councillor and Cllr. Lake as a serving Councillor for Sevenoaks District Council, but that they would be considered no differently to any other participant.

Cllr. Abraham declared that he knew Mr. G. Ryan as a former Councillor and Cllr. Lake as a serving Councillor for Sevenoaks District Council but that this would not influence his decision.

Cllr. Kelly declared that he knew Cllr. Lake as a serving Councillor for Sevenoaks District Council but that this would not affect his decision.

(Cowden & Hever)

The Hearing gave consideration to a report by the Chief Officer Environmental and Operational Services giving details of an application for a new premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 in respect of Leppards Wilderness Farm, Wilderness Lane, Edenbridge, TN8 7LP. It was noted that objections had been received and that accordingly the application had been referred to the Sub-Committee for determination.

The Chairman set out the matters which the Sub-Committee could consider under the Licensing Act 2003. The Hearing heard from the applicant’s Event Director representative, who explained the aim of the festival and how they intended to address the four licensing objectives.

In response to questions the applicant’s representatives confirmed that the festival’s policy was not to serve intoxicated guests and a record of refusals would be kept. There would be a zero tolerance drug policy with the first priority medical, followed by referral to the police. Security would work closely with the welfare team and security would peak from 10-11pm, with 40 security staff across the site and 24-hour security response teams. Guests would have to prove with government approved ID that they were 17 or over to attend without a guardian. To prevent traffic on arrival backing onto the narrow country lanes, the main exit could be used as an alternative entrance, also providing an additional 350m for vehicles to queue. Staff would discourage drinking in the car park. Vehicles within the licensable area would be searched for contraband items and attendees would be searched upon entry to the licensable area.

The Hearing heard from the objectors who raised concerns about noise creating a public nuisance to local facilities during the day and to residents until 5am when the local ambient noise was low. There were concerns that the nearest police station was 30 minutes away, which would pose a risk if there were crime or disorder. Guests would be leaving on the Sunday morning, possibly only a few hours after having been drinking alcohol the previous night. Children would be exposed to continuous loud noise and were in close proximity to alcohol. There was a risk to public safety due to the previous contamination of the site.

In response to questions from the objectors, the applicant’s representative advised that volunteer staff would not replace the trained security staff and that all those working with children would be DBS checked. There would be security on the public footpath through the site to ensure there was no unauthorised entry and there would be security on the perimeter in case of those walking nearby. There was independent soil testing and water testing and access to the lagoons would be security guarded and would be fenced.

Representatives from the Environmental Health Partnership advised that the Noise Council Code of Practice for Concerts was approved by bodies including the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health. It struck a balance between various interests. The ambient background noise between midnight and 4am was 23-26dB(A). They advised that 10dB above the ambient background  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.