The Sub-Committee will elect a Chairman for the meeting.

It was moved by Councillor Davidson, seconded by Councillor Casey and:-

RESOLVED that Councillor A Cossens be elected as Chairman for the meeting.

The Committee is asked to note any apologies for absence and substitutions received from Members.

There were no apologies for absence submitted nor substitutions made on this occasion.

To confirm and sign as a correct record, the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee, held on Monday, 16 March 2026.

It was moved by Councillor Casey, seconded by Councillor Davidson and:-

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Sub-Committee held on Monday, 16 March, 2026, be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, Other Registerable Interests of Non-Registerable Interests, and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the agenda.

There were no Declarations of Interest made by Members on this occasion. 

To inform Members that an application has been received for the grant of a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 from Mr Kathirgamamoorthy Balasamy for the sale of alcohol off the premises at High Street Express, 23 High Street, Clacton on Sea, Essex and further that objections to the proposed licensable activity have been received from members of the public.

Members were made aware that an application had been received from Mr Kathirgamamoorthy Balasamy for the grant of a premises licence, under the Licensing Act 2003, for the sale of alcohol off the premises at High Street Express, 23 High Street, Clacton-on-Sea, and further that objections to that proposed licensable activity had been received from members of the public.

It was reported that the applicant had described High Street Express as a convenience store selling groceries, food, drinks, confectionery, tobacco and alcohol.  The property was a terraced house with the shop located on the ground floor.

The Sub-Committee was informed that the applicant proposed to open to the public on the following days/hours:

Everyday                                             07:00 to 00:00

Sale of Alcohol Off the Premises Hours:

Everyday                                             07:00 to 00:00

The full application was attached at Appendix A to the Officer report (A.1).

The Sub-Committee was advised that five representations/objections had been received from residents in relation to this application. Those representations/objections had been attached at Appendix B to the Officer report (A.1). No representations had been received from the Responsible Authorities.

The Licensing Manager reported that an email dated 13 March 2026 further clarifying matters had been received from the applicant. That email had been circulated to the ‘objectors’ and no comments had been received thereon. Prior to the commencement of the meeting that email had also been circulated to the Sub-Committee. That email had stated the following:-

“I have carefully reviewed the concerns raised by local residents and members of the public, and I wish to address these points directly to demonstrate my commitment to the licensing objectives:-

1.       Prevention of Crime and Disorder

To ensure High Street Express does not contribute to existing alcohol related anti-social behaviour in the town centre, I am committed to the following:-

§  CCTV: we will install a comprehensive digital CCTV system covering all entry/exit points and internal aisles. Recordings will be kept for 31 days and made available to the Police.

§  Incident Logs: a formal incident book will be maintained to record any instances of disorder or refused sales.

§  No high-strength sales: to discourage street drinking, I am willing to agree to a condition that no super-strength beers, lagers or ciders (above 6.5% ABV) will be sold.

2.       Public Safety and Public Nuisance

Regarding concerns about litter, noise and congregation:

§  Litter: staff will conduct regular “sweep ups” of the immediate shop frontage to ensure no litter from our products accumulates.

§  Congregation: signs will be prominently displayed asking customers to leave the area quietly and not to consume alcohol or loiter immediately outside the premises.

§  Operating hours: I note the concern regarding the proposed 07:00 to 00:00 hours. I am open to discussing a reduction in these hours if the Licensing Authority deems it necessary to align with the local environment.

3.       Protection of Children from Harm

§  Challenge 25: we will operate a strict “Challenge 25” policy. Only valid photo ID (passport, driving licence or PASS accredited cards)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.