RESOLVED:  That Councillor John Sargeant be appointed chair of the meeting.

No declarations were made.

Councillor John Sargeant opened the meeting and outlined the procedure to be followed.  He advised all parties that the meeting was being recorded.

All parties confirmed the accuracy of the papers circulated with regard to this application. 

All parties confirmed that no resolution or further conditions had been agreed following publication of the papers.

When invited to do so by the Chair, Lisa Gardshol outlined the application.  She advised that the company operates two premises in Merton, and a further four operations in London mainline stations. 

Lisa Gardshol outlined the nature of the premises in the application and explained that 80% of sales would be biltong, with the remaining 20% comprising premium South African wines, priced at £15.49 or more, three types of cider and three types of beer all 5% ABV or less.

Lisa Gardshol outlined the training in place for staff and also advised that there will be no self-service facility available for customers. 

Lisa Gardshol alleged that of the eleven people who made a representation, eight are linked to a business already in operation at Wimbledon station. When asked to do so by Councillor Jeff Hanna, she identified those eight people as: J Alterskye, I Chanoch, A Kulik, R McCrae, A Morrison, A Nedelia, Y Wallace and L Wheaton.

When asked to comment on the representations made by the Police, Lisa Gardshol advised that all stores have 24/7 CCTV which the managers can access upon request.  All staff are trained on Challenge 25.  The beers and ciders sold are no higher than 5% ABV.  All stores keep incident logs and managers work very closely with station managers, Police and other tenants. 

With regard to the application made by Leigh Terrafranca on behalf of WEHRA, Lisa Gardshol confirmed that staff work very closed with all relevant parties in advance of major sporting events.  She also noted that the alcohol sold is quite expensive and there are no promotions or discounts offered.  She also outlined the measures in place to ensure public safety.

Councillor John Sargeant pointed out that the premises are within Merton’s cumulative impact zone (CIZ) and there is therefore a requirement for the applicant to demonstrate how the premises would contribute to the aims of the CIZ. In response, Lisa Gardshol advised that premises could be erected outside the barriers if required, but they aim to serve all customers within 90 seconds to avoid queues.  She advised that if over-crowding became an issue the premises could be shut down entirely. 

Lisa Gardshol advised that cider and beer is sold singly and in sealed packs of six.  The prices are £1.50 upwards for singles and £8.70 upwards for six packs.  She also explained that wine must comprise 70% of the alcohol display according to the lease.

When asked, Lisa Gardshol advised that she had not consulted with British Transport Police as they were not listed as statutory authorities for licensing purposes.  At the request of the chair, Guy Bishop confirmed that there was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.