Agenda item

Application for a variation a premises licence for William Henry, 1 Frederick Place, St Thomas Street, Weymouth.

Meeting of Licensing and Gambling Acts Sub-Committee, Tuesday, 31st March, 2026 10.30 am (Item 4.)

An application has been made for a variation of the premises licence for William Henry, 1 Frederick Place, St Thomas Street, Weymouth. The application has been out to public consultation. Representations have been received. A Licensing Sub-Committee must therefore consider the application and representations at a public hearing. 

Minutes:

The Senior Licensing Officer outlined her report. The applicant sought to extend by one hour the times that alcohol and late-night refreshment could be sold Thursday to Saturday to 2am, plus an extension of the time that the premises could be open to 02:30am from 1.30am Thursday to Saturday. In addition, an amendment to Condition 11 was requested to permit under 18s to be present up to 11pm rather than 10pm. An extension of one hour had been included for Regulated Entertainment but this request had been removed following correspondence with Dorset Council’s Environmental Protection Team. The Premises was within the Cumulative Impact Area and as such the applicant would need to demonstrate that any changes to their licence would not add to any issues within that area. Apart from the representation from the Environmental Protection Team, no representations had been received from other responsible authorities.

The Sub-Committee was addressed by the Applicant’s solicitor Mr Nigel Connor and Mr Rob Gibson the area manager. Mr Connor confirmed that the variation sought was for Thursday to Saturday late-night refreshment and sale of alcohol for an additional hour plus an extra 30 minutes added to the opening times, and to change the condition to permit under 18s in the Premises until 11pm rather than 10pm. The extension relating to regulated entertainment had been withdrawn. He explained that J D Wetherspoon had approximately 800 premises and had been in operation since 1979. The Premises was a standard J D Wetherspoon pub which had been operated by them since 2008, with customers seated to eat and drink. There was no music or entertainment provided at the Premises and the current manager had been there for 8 years. They had consulted with the Police about the application, and no representation was made by the Police. Mr Connor noted that there were no objections to the requested condition change, which would permit families to remain in the Premises up to 11pm.

Mr Connor explained that they wanted the extra time because people tended to go out later in the evening. The Premises was food led, and for 6 months food had been provided to 1am on Friday and Saturday. They wanted to be able to extend that period by an hour and provide a drink with a meal up to that time. Mr Connor did not anticipate the Premises being at peak capacity at 2am as customers tended to drift away after 1am, as a result there would not be the disturbance that might be anticipated. Mr Connor explained that the Premises did not have a track record of causing issues and wanted to work with other businesses in the area. They were happy to provide a telephone number for any issues to be reported. The Premises had a security risk assessment in place with a strong management team with 3 managers on duty at closing time to oversee people leaving. There was signage in place reminding people to leave quietly and CCTV which acted as a deterrent. Mr Connor concluded by saying that the variation as now sought would not undermine the licensing objectives.

Cllrs asked if there was a contact number that residents could use to get in touch if there were any problems and what procedures were in place for when people leave the premises at night.

Mr Connor responded to Cllr questions. There was a number that residents could use to get in touch and this number would be circulated to nearby businesses. For the last hour, under 18’s would not be allowed into the premises unless accompanied by an adult.

All parties given the opportunity to have their say and sum up.

Decision

To VARY the Premises Licence to extend the times that late night refreshment and alcohol can be sold, and to amend Condition 11 as follows:

Sale of Alcohol

Thursday to Saturday 09:00 hours to 02:00 hours

Late Night Refreshment

Thursday to Saturday 23:00 hours to 02:00 hours

Opening

Thursday to Saturday 07:00 hours to 02:30 hours

Condition

Amend Condition (11) in Annex 2 of the Premises Licence to remove ‘22:00’ and replace it with ‘23:00’. The condition will therefore read as follows: ‘Persons under the age of 18 shall not be permitted to enter the premises after 23:00’.

The Premises Licence as varied will therefore read as follows:

Sale of Alcohol (on and off the premises)

Sunday to Wednesday 09:00 to midnight

Thursday to Saturday 0900 to 0200

Non-Standard Timings:

Christmas Eve/ Boxing Day/Maundy Thursday/Sundays preceding Bank Holiday Mondays/New Year’s Eve/ the morning British Summer Time commences - an additional hour.

Late Night Refreshment

Sunday to Wednesday 2300-midnight

Thursday to Saturday 2300 to 02:00 hours

Non-Standard Timings:

Christmas Eve/ Boxing Day/Maundy Thursday/Sundays preceding Bank Holiday Mondays/New Year’s Eve/ the morning British Summer Time commences - an additional hour.

Films (indoors)

Sunday to Wednesday 07:00 to midnight

Thursday to Saturday 0700 to 0100

Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Bank Holiday weekends 09:00 to 01:00 hours Christmas Eve, Boxing Day 09:00 to 01:00 hours