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

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

RESOLVED that Councillor J Henderson be elected as Chairman for the meeting.

The Sub-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 Tuesday, 6 January 2026.

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

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Sub-Committee held on Friday, 23 January 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.

Councillor Wiggins declared for the public record that she held a personal licence, but that it had no bearing on her capacity to be a member of the Sub-Committee.

To inform Members that an application has been received for the Grant of a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 from Mrs Selvabhavani Sujananth for the sale of alcohol off the premises at Kirby Express, 1-5 Shop Parade, Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Essex and further that objections to the proposed licensable activity have been received from members of the public.

The Sub-Committee heard from the Licensing Manager that an application had been received for the grant of a premises licence, under the Licensing Act 2003, from Mrs Selvabhavani Sujananth for the sale of alcohol off the premises at Kirby Express, 1-5 Shop Parade, Halstead Road, Kirby Cross and further that objections to that proposed licensable activity had been received from members of the public.

The applicant had described Kirby Express as a former pharmacy/general store which had been closed. The premises was to be renovated and refitted as a convenience store with all products and services.

The applicant had proposed to open to the public on the following days/hours:

Everyday                     06:00 to 23:00

Proposed sale of alcohol off the premises hours:

Everyday                     06:00 to 23:00

The full application had been attached to the main report (A.1) as Appendix A.

The Sub-Committee heard that eight representations/objections had been received from residents. Those letters of representations/objection had been attached to the main report (A.1) as Appendix B.

Members were reminded that each application must be considered in its own right and on its own merits only as to how it might impact on the four licensing objectives which were the Prevention of Crime and Disorder, the Prevention of Public Nuisance, Public Safety and the Protection of Children from Harm.

The Licensing Manager advised Members that matters such as parking did not fall within the licensing objectives or the scope of the Licensing Act 2003. It was further noted that the Planning Team had been consulted as a responsible authority and had raised no concerns.

The agent representing the applicant, addressed the Sub?Committee in support of the application. The agent outlined a range of measures that would be implemented to promote and uphold the licensing objectives. Those included steps to enhance customer safety within the premises, the installation of CCTV to support the prevention of crime and disorder, the adoption of comprehensive safety procedures, and ensuring that all staff received appropriate training in the Challenge 25 policy. Additional measures included the provision of external waste bins for customer use and the display of signage outside the premises requesting that customers leave quietly.