Applicant – Mr Phillips on behalf of Porthcawl Elvis Festival Limited.

All those present introduced themselves and the Chairperson outlined the procedure to be adopted at the meeting.

The Team Manager Licensing reported on an application for the grant of a street trading consent for the Family Zone, The Esplanade, Porthcawl for “Elvis” merchandise and for food outlets in John Street and The Esplanade during the Elvis Festival weekend of the 23 / 24 September 2017.  The application had been made by Porthcawl Elvis Festival Limited.

The Team Manager Licensing informed the Sub-Committee that the application had been the subject of consultation and advertised which resulted in concerns being raised by the Manager of the Highways Network, Bridgend County Borough Council about the granting of permission to trade on the highway.  She stated that discussions had taken place and correspondence exchanged on the logistics and organisation of the Festival, including the Council’s Events Safety Advisory Group, however the objection from the Highways Department had not been withdrawn. 

The Team Manager Licensing informed the Sub-Committee that Mr Phillips, on behalf of the event organisers and Mr Kevin Mulcahy, Group Manager Highways Services would present an update on progress made as a result of discussions which had taken place.

The Chairperson invited Mr Phillips on behalf of Porthcawl Elvis Festival Limited to present his application.

Mr Phillips on behalf of the applicant informed the Sub-Committee that the festival organisers wished to create more of a family event and to make it a better visitor experience for families.  He stated that discussions had taken place with the Highways Department on the proposed road closures over the last 2 years and the police had encouraged the festival organisers to provide more catering outlets.  It was intended to provide catering units at last year’s festival, however there had been insufficient time to do so due to delays in the approval of the road closures at that time. 

Mr Phillips informed the Sub-Committee that there is sufficient space in the area of the road closure to site a mobile catering unit.  He also informed the Sub-Committee that this was not a late application as it had been the subject of discussion with the Highways Department as early as October 2016.  He stated that it might not prove possible to secure more than one mobile catering unit due to the closeness of the event and would therefore not make the proposed family zone viable.  The grant of consent for 2 mobile catering units would make the family zone more viable. 

The Chairperson invited the Group Manager Highways Services to present his Department’s objections to the application for street trading consent and to clarify the area of road which would be the subject of a temporary traffic order.   

The Group Manager Highways Services informed the Sub-Committee that it was considered by the Highways Department that trading within the boundaries of the area covered by the temporary traffic order would be manageable.  However, one area had been identified outside of this zone, which would present road safety issues, namely that marked T5 on the plan. 

He stated that the proposed site is at the junction of John Street with Lifeboat Road which is already occupied with the presence of a telephone box, cycle stands, benches and bollards and as such a stand in the view of the highway authority is unlikely to be sited safely in this area.

He also stated that the presence of a stand in the view of the highway authority would cause an obstruction to the movement of pedestrians and could cause them to step out into the carriageway to avoid any congestion.  As part of the traffic management to permit the road closure along the sea front, The Esplanade, the one way system that is in normal operation along this section of highway, John Street and Lifeboat Road is to be suspended and as such pedestrians will be entering two way traffic and an attractor such as a stall is not deemed appropriate from a road safety perspective outside of the road closure for the event.

The Group Manager Highways Services informed the Sub-Committee that he had check the position with the highway inspector for the area, who had this responsibility for the previous 16 years and he was not aware of this area being previously used for such purposes.  With regard to the road closure, discussions had taken place at the Events Safety Advisory Group, to ensure that the closure of traffic at the Esplanade makes it a safer environment for visitors to the event. The siting of a unit at the location of T5 on the plan would need to be the subject of discussions with the emergency services. 

The Sub-Committee requested clarification as to where the road closure would take place.  The Group Manager Highways Services clarified that the road closure would take place along the length of The Esplanade.  The Sub-Committee questioned how introducing a two away system to an area where there is currently a one way system would impact pedestrians and a stall proposed at T5.  The Group Manager Highways informed the Sub-Committee that the introduction of a stall at the location of T5 on the plan

would give rise to a road safety concern.       

The Sub-Committee referred to the volume of traffic expected for the event and questioned the car provision in Porthcawl and the number of vehicles expected during the event.  The Group Manager Highways Services informed the Sub-Committee that there is car parking provision in the car parks in Porthcawl town centre.  He stated that there would be signage as part of the traffic management plan directing visitors to car parks, however the likely level of vehicles expected was not known.  He also informed the Sub-Committee that there would be a need for emergency vehicles to gain access to the areas which are part of the road closures as part of the traffic management plan. 

The Sub-Committee questioned what was different to this year’s event to the events held in previous years.  The Team Manager Licensing informed the Sub-Committee that this had been the first year that an application for street trading consent had been received. 

The Sub-Committee questioned the applicant as to whether it would be too late for the event organisers to source catering units, given the closeness of the event.  Mr Phillips informed the Sub-Committee that he would have to discuss lead in times with potential caterers for the siting of mobile catering units.  He stated that he had hoped to have resolved the siting of mobile catering units before now as discussions had taken place at ESAG meetings.

The Chairperson invited both parties to sum up.

Mr Phillips informed the Sub-Committee that if the application is granted, there would be a need to establish whether there was sufficient lead in time to site the mobile catering units.  He believed that these discussions should have ideally taken place some time ago.

The Group Manager Highways Services informed the Sub-Committee that the siting of a mobile catering unit at the location of T5 would present an obstruction to highway safety.

The Sub-Committee adjourned at 10.30am and reconvened at 11.08am and on their return it was:

RESOLVED:            That the Sub-Committee has considered the application for street trading consent for the family zone and The Esplanade, Porthcawl and has heard representations from both Mr Phillips and the Highways Department of the authority.  The only area now in dispute is are number T5 and highways objects to consent for this area because it is not subject to the road closure and open to traffic during the festival.

The Sub-Committee has studied photographs of the area described at T5 and the possible positioning of a food outlet in that area and has decided to grant the application with the condition that any stall of van situated in T5 must be sited against the wall between the telephone box and the pots box and away from the dimple dropped kerb.