Agenda and minutes

Councillor Juliet Barker Smith was elected as Chair for the duration of this meeting.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Wanda King.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chair welcomed all those present to the hearing and introduced Members and Officers.

All parties in attendance introduced themselves, which included Dale Murphy, the General Manager of Popzone And Gorgeous and Shean Keystone, the Co- Owner of Popzone And Gorgeous, speaking in support of the application. Paul Reid, the Redditch Market Manager, Redditch Borough Council, was in attendance to speak in objection.

At the invitation of the Chair, the Technical Officer (Licensing), Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS), presented the report. It was detailed that on 29 June 2026, an Application for Variation of a Premises Licence was received from Pop Venues Redditch Ltd in respect of licensable activities being proposed to take place at:

Popzone And Gorgeous

12 Market Place

Redditch

Worcestershire

B98 8AA

The application was for a number of changes, namely the following amendments to licensable activities on the premises:

• The sale of alcohol every day for consumption on the premises be amended from 11.00- 04.00 hours to 11.00- 6.00 hours.
• The playing of recorded music, the playing of live music and the performance of dance every day indoors be amended from 11.00- 04.00 hours to 11.00- 6.00 hours.
• The provision of late night refreshment every day indoors be amended from 11.00- 04.30 hours to 11.00- 6.00 hours.

The application also sought to make amendments to conditions attached to the premises licence, notably in relation to under 18’s on the premises for private pre- booked events, attendance at Redditch Pubwatch meetings and the provision of SIA registered door supervisors on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Technical Officer (Licensing) outlined that a compliance visit had been carried out by a Licensing Officer and West Mercia Police on 20^th April 2026, during which no issues or concerns were found in relation to the operation of the venue.

It was highlighted to those in attendance that the application had been forwarded to all responsible authorities prescribed under the Licensing Act 2003 and that no responsible authorities, including West Mercia Police or Environment Health, had made representations.

One representation had been received from Paul Reid, the Redditch Market Manager, Redditch Borough Council. Concerns were raised in relation to the licensing objectives of the Prevention of Crime and Disorder, the Prevention of Public Nuisance and the Protection of Children from Harm.

The Committee was obliged to determine the application with a view to the promotion of the licensing objectives:

• The prevention of crime and disorder.
• Public safety.
• The prevention of public nuisance.
• The protection of children from harm.

In making its decision, the Sub-Committee was also obliged to have regard to the guidance issued by the Secretary of State under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 and the Council’s own Statement of Licensing Policy.

Following the presentation of the report, there were questions for the Technical Officer (Licensing) by the parties in attendance. From the questions, the following responses were made, and issues highlighted:

• No representations had been made by members of the public or residents living within the locality of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.