Leeds law firm, Levi Solicitors, has recently represented Leeds LGBTQ+ institution, Blayds Bar and its long-standing owner Duncan McCallum, in successfully obtaining a new premises licence, despite its location within Leeds City Council’s cumulative impact ‘Red Zone’.
Duncan McCallum has operated Blayds Bar for over 18 years and was shocked to be informed earlier this year that, due to administrative changes brought about by the death of his husband, the premises licence had lapsed.
Blayds Bar is a popular bar in Leeds City Centre and is a busy hub for LGBTQ+ nightlife, showcasing live music and celebrated drag shows. In the absence of a premises licence, they had been reliant on temporary event notices to trade. The premises would have been forced to close its doors had the application for a new premises licence not been successful.
| Cumulative Impact Area Red Zone
Blayds’ location in Blayds Yard, off Lower Briggate in Leeds City Centre, sits in the epicentre of Leeds’s Cumulative Impact Area. This is an area that the local authority deems could suffer because of the number, type or density of licensed premises.
Blayds sits inside the Leeds Red Zone, where the impact of the numerous licensed premises is so severe that the council considers that any application for a new licence or the variation of an existing licence should be refused.
The Leeds City Council Statement of Licensing Policy states in respect of Red Zone applications that: “It would be inconsistent with the council’s duty to promote the licensing objectives to grant new and variation application for any premises licence that seek to operate during the peak hours described in the cumulative impact assessment for the city centre”.
| New premises licence
Notwithstanding the above, at a hearing earlier this week, supported by around 30 members of the public and a petition with almost 3,000 signatures, the Committee were unanimously persuaded that the application would not add to the cumulative impact. They duly granted a new premises licence in an area where applications are notoriously rarely successful.
Ed Smith, a partner at Levi Solicitors specialising in Dispute Resolution and Licensing matters, assisted Blayds Bar in applying and represented them at the hearing. The team has extensive experience in licensing matters and regularly acts for operators in the licensed trade both large and small.
Ed commented:
“I am delighted to have supported Duncan and Blayds in this application. It is clear from the amount of support that Blayds has received and Duncan’s impeccable record as an operator that the Committee have made the right decision. I’m proud to have been involved with the project and look forward to seeing Blayds go from strength to strength.”
Blayds Bar added in a message to Ed:
“We just want to say a huge thank you for everything over the last few months, your support and advice has been incredible. The bar is open and in full swing… This has ended on a very high note and we can’t thank you enough.”
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