Decision

1. 1st Point Restaurant Ltd (“the Applicant”) applied for a variation of the Premises Licence on 13th April 2026 for 1st Point Restaurant Ltd, 178 New Cross Road, London SE14 5AA (“the Premises”).
2. The application was made and advertised in accordance with Regulation 25 of the Licensing Act 2003 (Premises licences and club premises certificates) Regulations 2005. The last date for representations was 12th May 2026.
3. The particulars proposed for the premise licence were:
   Particulars of Application
   The application is for the following variations to the premises licence: Change of layout and associated plan
   Amendment of licensable hours for the sale by retail of alcohol on the premises, recorded music & late night refreshment to the following terminal hour:
   00:00 Monday to Thursday
   01:30 Friday to Saturday
   00:30 Sunday
   Seasonal variation: Christmas Eve & Bank Holidays until 03:00 for all Activities
   Amendment of closing hours to the following terminal hour:
   00:30 Monday to Thursday
   02:00 Friday to Saturday
   01:00 Sunday
4. Ten representations were received from local residents on the grounds that the application does not promote the Licensing Objectives of the prevention of public nuisance and the prevention of crime and disorder. The representations were received within the specified time, were examined by Officers and were not considered to be vexatious or frivolous.
5. A list of suggested conditions is included at pages 493 to 494 of the Agenda Reports Pack.
6. The Licensing Sub-Committee A held a meeting on the 10th June 2026 to consider the Application. Safer Communities, Licensing Officer, Angela Murrell, introduced the report. The director of the applicant company, Mr Paul Ugochukwu, then addressed the Sub-Committee in support of the premises licence application. Mr Ugochukwu explained that he was making the application to secure the survival of his business. Mr Ugochukwu stated that he was not intending to run the premises for clubbing and that he had put a lot of measures in place (including a dispersal policy and staff training) to promote the four licensing objectives. Mr Ugochukwu also stated that the kitchen would close roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour before closure.
7. A local resident who had made a representation then addressed the Sub-Committee in opposition to the premises licence application. He stated that it was a residential area and that if the premises were going to operate as a restaurant then there was no need for it to operate so late. He also stated that there had been some anti-social behaviour associated with the premises, including broken windows and improper use of a parking space.
8. A representative from the freeholder of the premises who had made a representation then addressed the Sub-Committee in opposition to the premises licence application. He stated that the premises had already operated in breach of its lease conditions and that the proposed hours would extend beyond the hours permitted in the lease.
9. No other person who had submitted written representations appeared at the meeting to speak to the Sub-Committee. The Applicant was given an opportunity at the end to briefly sum up his case. Mr Ugochukwu stated that the complaints referred to had happened during the operation of a Temporary Event Notice. Mr Ugochukwu stated that he wanted to cooperate with neighbours, that he was open to listening to residents and to being investigated to ensure compliance. He added that there was no intention to allow clubbing, and he had already installed a noise limiter at the back. He repeated that the application was necessary to ensure that the business could continue.
10. The two objectors confirmed that they had nothing further to add in summing-up.
11. In making its decision the Sub-Committee has considered all the papers contained in the report pack and submitted documents, including written submissions, together with the oral submissions made at the hearing. The Sub-Committee also considered the Council’s own Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031 and the latest Home Office Statutory Guidance, revised in February 2026.
12. The decision of the Sub-Committee is to grant the variation of the premises licence as follows:

a.     Change of layout and associated plan

b.     Amendment of licensable hours for the sale by retail of alcohol on the premises as follows:

i.                     Sunday to Thursday: 13:00 to 00:00

ii.                   Friday to Saturday: 13:00 to 01:30

c.      Amendment of licensable hours for recorded music on the premises as follows:

i.                     Sunday to Thursday: 18:00 to 00:00

ii.                   Friday to Saturday: 18:00 to 01:30

d.     Amendment of licensable hours for late night refreshment on the premises as follows:

i.                     Sunday to Thursday: 23:00 to 00:00

ii.                   Friday to Saturday: 23:00 to 01:30

e.     Amendment of opening hours on the premises as follows:

i.                     Sunday to Thursday: 09:00 to 00:30

ii.                   Friday to Saturday: 09:00 to 02:00

f.        No seasonal variations

g.     Addition of the suggested conditions set out at pages 493-494 of the Agenda Reports Pack.

h.     Addition of the following condition: ‘The Premises Licence Holder shall, at all times, comply with a dispersal policy. Copies of the dispersal policy shall be retained at the Premises and made readily available to the Police and Licensing Authority upon request. The dispersal policy shall include the management of customers external to the premises, including quiet arrival, departure and dispersal of customers.’

1. The Sub-Committee’s reasons for taking this decision are:

a.     Taking into account the modified hours of operation, the additional conditions imposed as part of the application are necessary and proportionate and sufficient in this case to promote the licensing objectives. The additional conditions imposed address the potential for increased noise nuisance arising from the extension of hours, particularly from customers arriving or leaving the premises.

b.     However, the Sub-Committee considered that it would be appropriate for the hours on Sunday to reflect the hours during weekdays. The Sub-Committee also did not consider it appropriate for the hours to be extended until 03:00 on Bank Holidays, as this represented a late terminal hour. The Sub-Committee noted that the Applicant would be able to submit Temporary Event Notices for temporary events.

c.      The Sub-Committee also noted the Applicant’s stated commitment to working alongside local residents and responsible authorities. The Sub-Committee encouraged such cooperation and liaison in order to ensure that the operation of the business would not come at the expense of residents’ reasonable enjoyment of their living spaces.

d.     Finally, the Sub-Committee noted that if the licence conditions were not complied with it was open for any person or responsible authority to instigate the licence review process.

1. There is a right of appeal against this decision. Any appeal should be made to the Magistrates’ court within 21 days beginning with the day on which the Applicant was notified of the decision.
    

Any person who has given notice of appeal on a licensing decision to the Magistrates Court, or is considering doing so, should not approach council officers for legal advice. A person making an appeal should seek independent legal advice, for instance, from a firm of solicitors or the local Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to assist.