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Notification of
decision following a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing to determine
an application for a temporary street trading licence pursuant to
the London Local Authorities Act 1990, as amended
 
SITE: Meryem Fruit
and Vegetables, to be positioned on the raised steps on the side of
Holy Trinity Church, TW3 1HG
 
TO: Meryem Fruit and Vegetables
(“the Applicant”)
  
TAKE NOTICE THAT following a hearing
before the Licensing and General Purposes Sub-Committee
 
ON 24th November 2025,
the London Borough of Hounslow, as the
relevant Licensing Authority  
 
RESOLVED as
follows:
 
1)    
The Sub-Committee convened to determine an application in respect
of the grant of a temporary street trading licence made pursuant to
section 31 of the London Local Authorities Act 1990, as amended
(the “Act”).
 
2)    
The application, which is shown at Appendix A of the Agenda pack,
for a temporary street trading licence. The applicant wishes to
renew his licence, which is due to expire in December 2025, for the
Site measuring 10 meters in depth and 4 meters in width, to place a
stall on the raised steps on the side of the Holy Trinity Church in
the area as highlighted in the plan. The Applicant wishes to
continue to sell fresh fruit and vegetables from Monday to Saturday
between the hours of 7:00 am to 19:00 pm as per the original
licence.
 
3)    
The hearing was in person. The Sub-Committee consisted of three
members. All members of the Licensing Sub-Committee were in
attendance throughout the hearing, and during deliberation, which
took place separately in a closed session once the hearing of the
evidence had concluded.
 
4)    
During the consultation process, the Licensing Authority received 1
representation from Licensing Enforcement Officer, Mr Charlie
Hennessy – Commercial Standards. Mr Hennessy attended the
hearing and confirmed his representations as per his letter and
email dated 27th October 2025.  The Licensing Officer, Mr Hennessy, basis of
objection was on the grounds of The Prevention of Public Nuisance.
The full representations are attached at Appendix B.
 
 
 
 
 
 
5)    
In making its decision, the Sub-Committee carefully considered all
the relevant information, including:
 
-                  
Written and oral representations submitted by all the parties
-                  
Oral representations made by the parties during the licensing panel
hearing
-                  
The London Local Authorities Act 1990 as amended (“the
Act”)
-                  
Hounslow Council’s Street Trading Policy (“the
Policy”)
-                  
The Human Rights Act 1998
 

6)    
At the hearing, Mr Hennessey stated that the Licence Holder has
received two Fixed Penalty
Notices during the licence period for trading in an
area larger than previously authorised. Both fixed penalty notices
have been paid. The Officer also noted that the Applicant received
10 additional penalty notices from the
Highways Department, though specific details
were not available.

 

7)    
Following complaints from local ward councillors
regarding the stall set-up, Mr Hennessey conducted
two site inspections, which
confirmed non-compliance with licence conditions. Guidance was
provided to rectify the issues. For the past two months or more, the operators have shown
significant improvement, and
councillors have since withdrawn their objections.

 

8)    
Mr Hennessey observed that during the period of
non-compliance, many other street traders were also failing to
adhere to licence conditions. However, the Applicant’s recent
positive behaviour has set an example, and other traders have
similarly improved.  The Licensing
Officer stressed the need for the stall to strictly adhere to the
authorised parameters of 10 metres in depth
and 4 metres in width and remain within the
designated raised area going forward. 
He also reinforced to all parties that compliance with these
parameters is mandatory to ensure public safety, as others rely on
the tactile paving to navigate the pavements.

 

9)    
A police inspection on 17
October 2025 revealed that an individual working at
the stall did not have an ID card issued by the Licensing
Authority, constituting a breach of Condition 39 of the licence.  Licensing Enforcement was informed that the
Licence Holder experienced a period of ill health during the
licence term, resulting in their absence from the pitch. The
Licence Holder has since returned and is consistently
present.  A marked improvement has been
noted in compliance, particularly in operating strictly within the
licensed area. Mr Hennessey has proposed additional conditions on behalf of the Licensing
Authority.

 

10) At the hearing,
the Applicant represented himself but was assisted at the hearing
by his legal representative from Gull Law Associates.  Mr Muhammad Abubakav Shatawan, described as the
Licence Holder, attended on behalf of the
Applicant/company.  Mr Hassan, the
manager of the stall and Reverend Sally Bally of the Holy Trinity
Church, who provided a letter in support of the licence application
as contained in Appendix B, both attended in support.

 

11) The
Applicant expressed deep remorse and explained that his period of
ill health prevented him from managing the stall effectively.
During his absence, some stall workers who spoke limited English
encouraged practices that led to non-compliance, which led to the
additional penalty notices incurred from the Highways department.
He confirmed that these issues have since been
rectified.

 

12) The
Applicant stated that he now works closely with Mr Hennessey and
maintains a good working relationship, which Mr Hennessey
confirmed. Mr Hassan, described as the manager of the stall, also
explained that he regularly sends photographs of the stall to Mr
Hennessey, almost daily, to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the
licence conditions.

 

13) The
Applicant further confirmed that approximately five workers,
including the Licence Holder, now hold ID cards issued by Hounslow
Council, and this was once again verified by Mr
Hennessey.  Mr Hassan was very
apologetic to all present, acknowledged his previous mistakes, and
affirmed his commitment as the manager to ensure continued
compliance and improvement.

 

14)  The Reverend Sally Bally, of The
Holy Trinity Church, Hounslow, who rents the pitch to the
Applicant, admitted that she had given permission for the stall to
extend into the tactile paving areas and expressed her apologies
for the resulting encroachment. Reverend relied on her letter dated
7 October 2025, emphasising that the stall contributes
significantly to the church’s community hub by making large
monthly vegetable and fruit donations, which directly support
asylum seekers, refugees, and homelessness relief programmes run by
the Church.

 

DECISION:

 

15) The Act provides
the Council a measure of discretion when deciding whether to issue
a temporary street trading licence and the Council’s Street
Trading Policy provides for all applications to consider various
issues as set out therein, which include consideration of public
safety, prevention of crime and disorder, prevention of public
nuisance, the appearance and suitability of the stall/vehicle and
environmental credentials. The Policy also requires applications to
consider the needs of the area, this being the demand for the
articles for sale and the geographical location of the proposed
site. 

 

16) In this case, the
Site is located on the raised steps to the side of the Holy Trinity
Church, Hounslow. The Panel notes the Applicant and manager’s
remorsefulness and accepts the explanation of the ill health which
contributed to the infringement of the licence.

 

 

17) Having considered
all the written and oral representations by all parties, the Panel
is of the view that the Applicant appears to be operating the
market in a satisfactory manner, but there are some additional
conditions that should be put in place to protect public safety and
reduce the risk to pedestrians from any obstruction.

 

18) The Panel also
acknowledged the continued generous charity donations of fresh
fruit and vegetables by the stall to the local church and
community, which was also highlighted in Mr Hennessey’s
letter and at the hearing.

 

19) Having considered
all the representations and all relevant material, the Panel has
therefore decided to GRANT the application for a temporary
street trading licence for the Site, to measure no more than 10
meters in depth and 4 meters in width as follows:

 

Monday to Saturday: 07:00 am – 19:00 pm

 

20)  The Panel is of the view that the Applicant appears
to be operating the stall in a satisfactory manner, but there are
some additional conditions that should be attached to prevent
public nuisance and reduce the risk to pedestrians from any
obstructions.

 

21)  Conditions attached by the licensing
Sub-Committee

 

1.    
There shall be no goods placed on top of the tactile paving, and
sufficient space shall be provided on either side of the tactile
paving.

 

2.    
There shall be no goods placed on or near the stairs, allowing
pedestrians to use the stairs in a safe manner.

 

3.    
The Licence holder shall be at the pitch or
contactable at all times when the pitch is being used for
trade.

 

4.    
The licence holder must always ensure that any queues or the
serving of customers do not impact the
surrounding pavements or any pedestrian crossing points
in order to prevent obstruction and to
maintain public safety.

 

5.    
The licence holder must ensure the stall operates in a safe and
orderly manner and shall not do anything which may cause a danger,
nuisance or annoyance, damage or inconvenience to the public and
Council.

 

22)  The Panel wishes to stress, as emphasised at the
hearing, the need for continued compliance with the licence
conditions imposed, as failure to do so could subject the licence
holder to further review and the risk of revocation of the
licence.

 

23) There is no right
of appeal by any party in relation to the determination in respect
of a temporary street trading application. The decision of the
Sub-Committee is therefore final. 

 

 
Licensing
Sub-Committee