Decision

 DECISION NOTICE

1. Radioactive Clothing T/A Slammin Events (“the Applicant”) submitted an application for a Premises Licence on 14th July 2026 for Blackheath Fireworks Blackheath Common, Blackheath, London SE3 0TY (“the Premises”).
2. The application was 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 18th August 2025.
3. The particulars proposed for the premise licence were:

Particulars of Application

Regulated Entertainment

Live & Recorded Music, Performance of Dance and Anything of a similar nature 17:00 – 22:30 Friday

16:00 – 22:30 Saturday

16:00 – 22:00 Sunday

Sale of alcohol for consumption ON the premises. 17:00 – 22:15 Friday

16:00 – 22:15 Saturday

16:00 – 21:45 Sunday

A two-day weekend event to be held annually between the last week of October and the second week of November each year. This will be either be the Friday & Saturday or the Saturday & Sunday. The Applicant proposes a one-day event in 2026 on Saturday 7th November.

The Applicant offered a series of conditions as part of the application, which appear on pages 142 to 144 of the Agenda.

1. Representations were received from 17 members of the public on the grounds that the application does not promote the Licensing Objectives. The representations were

received within the specified time, were examined by Officers and were considered not to be vexatious or frivolous.

1. An objection was received from the Responsible Authority for licensing requesting the addition of two conditions to those offered in the application. These conditions have been agreed, appearing at the top of page 142 of the Agenda, and the Responsible Authority for licensing has now withdrawn their objection. There were no objections received from the Police as they considered the conditions together with the event management plans offered by the Applicant were sufficient to uphold the licensing objectives. No other Responsible Authority submitted any representations.
2. The Licensing Sub-Committee C held a meeting on the 8th of September 2026 to hear the Application. The Safer Communities, Licensing Officer, Angela Mullin-Murrell, introduced the report. Mr Paul Rooney from the Applicant company then addressed the Sub-Committee in support of the premises licence application. He was allowed a fixed period of time and answered Members’ questions.

The members of the public objecting to the application who had attended the meeting to speak were allowed to do so, in turn, for a fixed period of time and they answered Members’ questions. The Applicant was given an opportunity at the end to briefly sum up, and the same opportunity was given to one of the objectors on their behalf.

1. In making its decision the Committee has considered all the papers contained in the report pack and submitted documents, including written submissions, together with the oral submissions presented by the Applicant and those of the objectors. The Committee also considered the Council’s own Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-31 and the latest Home Office Statutory Guidance, revised in February 2026.
2. The decision of the Sub-Committee is to grant the premises licence for the regulated entertainment, live and recorded music, performance of dance and anything of a similar nature and for the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises. The hours are as stated in the application, unmodified. This is subject to the Conditions proposed in Appendix 1 on pages 142 to 144 of the Agenda.
3. The Sub-Committee’s reasons for taking this decision are:

a.     The Sub-Committee has carefully considered the concerns raised by residents. It acknowledges the strength of feeling surrounding this application and recognises residents close to the venue will experience some inconvenience on, and around, the (up to) two days a year the event takes place. However, that was not sufficient in itself to refuse, or modify the scope of, the licence or add further conditions.

b.     The Sub-Committee considered that the evidence was the first fireworks event held by the Applicant last year was successful with minimal crime and disorder. It notes the Applicant has taken account of feedback and, for

instance, has moved the location further up the Heath, has increased the size of the event area and raised the number of entrances from one to three.

c.      The Sub-Committee concluded that the Conditions proposed, including those which required the operator to submit plans and policies to, and then engage with the Event Safety Advisory Group were adequate and necessary to

promote the licensing objectives and refusal of the application would not be an appropriate or proportionate response on the evidence before it.

d.     The Sub-Committee noted that when an event takes place if a matter arises in connection with any of the four licensing objectives, it was open for any person to initiate a 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 Appellant 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.

18th September 2026