Agenda and draft minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 6 May 2026 were agreed as a true record.

Guidance is available online to Councillors and co-opted members on making declarations of interest

Minute 7. Application for the grant of a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 for a trailer bar situated on the paved area at the eastern end of Queen's Drive near Orcombe Point in Exmouth.

Councillor Olly Davey, Affects Non-registerable Interest, Member of Exmouth Town Council but does not sit on the Exmouth Town Council Planning Committee.

Minute 7. Application for the grant of a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 for a trailer bar situated on the paved area at the eastern end of Queen's Drive near Orcombe Point in Exmouth.

Councillor Steve Gazzard, Affects Non-registerable Interest, Member of Exmouth Town Council but does not sit on the Exmouth Town Council Planning Committee.

Information on matters of urgency is available online

There were no matters of urgency.

To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the Press) have been excluded. Thereare no itemswhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway.

There were no confidential or exempt items.

The meeting was a hearing under the Licensing Act 2003.

The Chair introduced the members of the Sub Committee and the officers present.

The Sub Committee’s Legal Advisor, Giles Salter, outlined the procedure for the meeting.

The Sub Committee considered the application for the grant of a premises licence at The Loft Bar and Grill, 11A Church Street, Exmouth, EX8 1PE.

The applicant, present and entitled to make representations, was Miss Kerry Roach.  Miss Roach was represented by Kate Waddams, Solicitor, supported by Faye Dunn, Paralegal, both from Vine Orchards Solicitors.

The interested person, present and entitled to make representations, was Mr Thomas Gordon.

The Licensing Manager summarised the application and raised that there had been claims that other representations had been sent in respect of this application.  However, after checking on more than one occasion with the post room and other departments across the council, Licensing Officers had not located any other letters of representation sent before 14 May 2026, this being the last date for representations to be received in respect of this application.

Responses to questions for the Licensing Manager from Councillors included the following points:

·         The Licensing Manager clarified how the timings in the previous premises licence differed from those in the current application.

·         The applicant had reached an agreed position with Environmental Health where there would be no persons to be admitted to the rooftop terrace on any occasion, and this agreed condition would go on the Premises Licence, if granted.

·         The Licensing Manager clarified the CCTV conditions set out in previous licence.

Responses to questions for the Licensing Manager from the interested person included the following points:

·         Licensing Officers were not informed of any non-compliance with CCTV conditions under the previous licence, and this was left to police investigation. 

There were no questions for the Licensing Manager from the applicant’s representative..

The applicant’s representative made the case for the application and highlighted the following points:

·         The applicant’s late father had been the leaseholder for 11 years and the lease had been inherited by the applicant on his passing, with 9 years remaining on it.

·         The permitted use of the premises was as a wine bar licensed for sale of alcohol, food and refreshment to the public.  The premises must be used for permitted use only and the applicant would lose her livelihood if the licence was not granted.

·         The applicant’s father had held a premises licence, but the applicant had thought that the licence was in her name.  As soon as she became aware that this was not the case and the licence had lapsed, she immediately closed and applied for a licence.

·         It was not the case that windows were left open for extended periods, and noise levels were not excessive.  Music stopped at midnight and there had been no live music since June 2025.

·         The interested party had claimed that he had had to adjust the opening hours of his business due to lack of sleep caused by noise levels from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The meeting was a hearing under the Licensing Act 2003.

The Chair introduced the members of the Sub Committee and the officers present.

The Sub Committee’s Legal Advisor, Giles Salter, outlined the procedure for the meeting.

The Sub Committee considered the application for the grant of a premises licence for a trailer bar situated on the paved area at the eastern end of Queen’s Drive near Orcombe Point in Exmouth.

The applicant, present and entitled to make representations, was Mr Oliver Bainbridge. 

The interested parties, present and entitled to make representations, were Cllr Graham Deasy, Cllr Brian Bailey, Cllr Nick Hookway, Mrs Ava Wood and Mrs Dierdre Mackness.

The Licensing Officer summarised the application as set out in the report.

Responses to questions for the Licensing Officer from Councillors included the following points:

·         There was no record of any complaints from the previous two occasions that licenses had been granted for the trailer bar at this location.

·         There was no condition offered in relation to two members of the staff being on duty during licensable hours.

·         The applicant had reached an agreed position with the police on the previous application. The police had not given any specific reason but had requested conditions, which were agreed to.

·         The police responded almost every time to consultation, and Licensing Officers had not received any representation from them on this application.

Responses to questions for the Licensing Officer from the interested persons included the following points:

·         Applications in previous years were for Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th June, and for Saturdays and Sundays between 12^th August and 3 September 2023, 12.00pm to 7.00pm.

·         Anything offered in section 18 of the application form would form conditions on the licence.  The applicant would be bound to adhere to those conditions and they would be enforceable by the Licensing Authority.

There were no questions for the Licensing Officer from the Applicant.

The applicant made the case for the application and highlighted the following points:

·         The applicant ran a brewery and three pubs on the Exe estuary, and had also run numerous events in Exmouth and knew the area very well.

·         There had been lots of objections to events, which the applicant had always listened to and acted upon appropriately, and none of the statutory authorities had ever come back with any negatives about his events or businesses in any way.

·         The applicant employed thirty local people in business, many of them young people who went on to build their careers in hospitality.

·         The beer was expensive, high quality craft beer which tended to be interesting and nuanced, and differentiated from what was sold at the off licence further along the seafront.

·         The applicant knew Orcombe Point well, often walking in that area and he understood the concerns around the site.  He observed that antisocial behaviour had escalated since the introduction of a ban on campervans staying overnight, their presence having previously mitigated and balanced the misbehaviour.

·         It was the applicant’s view, from his experience,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.