Highland Council has ordered Infinity Trampoline Park in Inverness to close its doors until officials can verify that it has finished work on a disabled toilet that would allow a public entertainment license to be granted.
At today’s routine licensing committee it emerged the business had not renewed its entertainment license since it let it lapse during the early days of the pandemic – it has been operating without a license since then.
Now, if the popular trampoline park continues work, the council said it would investigate any premises operating without a licence potentially risking a £20,000 fine.
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The main issue appears to have been a completion certificate for the building, itself an issue embroiled in the failure to build a disabled toilet on the premises, something proprietor Taran Campbell, who also owns Playback bar in the city, said has now been done.
Taran Campbell was present at the meeting to speak about the application. Picture: James Mackenzie.
The licensing committee chairman Sean Kennedy asked the building standards official whether they would be able to meet Mr Campbell in the near future to ensure the facility is compliant and can be licensed.
So councillors on the committee agreed that “they could grant the application with an additional condition attached to the same to the effect that no public entertainment activities should take place until the required works have been completed and relevant documents have been submitted and are deemed satisfactory”.
That means if council officials inspect and agree the work has been completed then it is a matter of submitting the correct documentation for a license to be issued at which point the doors can reopen without fear of fines.
The clerk admitted it is down to the proprietors whether or not it decides to risk opening in the meantime.
In February 2024, the manager was contacted by a member of the licensing team to say that “the premises were operating without the required public entertainment licence” – two more contacts were made on March 8 and April 4
Eventually, an application was submitted on April 19 leaving the council until January 18 to complete the application process or a license will be granted by default for one year but the decision by the committee lifts that hard deadline.
A council spokeswoman said: “A public entertainment licence was granted with an additional condition attached that no public entertainment activities should take place until the required works have been completed and the relevant documents have been submitted and are deemed satisfactory by the Highland Council’s building standards service.
“The licensing authority will investigate any circumstances where we are aware that a licence holder is acting in breach of the conditions of their licence, work with the licence holder to ensure compliance with the conditions, and take any enforcement action that is necessary.
“Operating without a licence is a criminal offence. This particular premises now has a licence, albeit with a suspensive condition attached to it.”
Infinity Trampoline Park has been invited to comment.