The Licensing Sub-Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council met on Monday 8 June 2026 to consider an application for a new premises licence for Lloyds Local. The committee granted the application, subject to a number of conditions.

Application for a New Premises Licence for Lloyds Local

The Licensing Sub-Committee considered an application for a new premises licence for Lloyds Local, located at 161 Clarence Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1QT. The application, submitted by Absolute Licence Solutions Limited on behalf of Lloyds Kingston Limited, initially sought permission to sell alcohol off-sales only from Monday to Sunday, between 7am and 11pm.

Following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, the applicant amended the proposed hours for alcohol sales to 9am to 11pm daily. The premises' overall opening hours were proposed as 7am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday.

Marcella Basso, Licensing Officer, presented the report, outlining that the Metropolitan Police had initially raised concerns regarding street drinkers in the area. However, these concerns were addressed through mediation, leading to amendments in the operating schedule. These amendments included reducing the alcohol sales start time and introducing specific conditions, such as prohibiting the sale of single bottles or cans of alcohol, limiting the sale of beer, lager, and cider above 6.0% Alcohol By Volume (ABV), and stipulating that staff must refuse sales to individuals believed to be street drinkers or alcohol-dependent. As a result, the Metropolitan Police withdrew their representation.

A representation was also received from an Other Person, which referenced all four licensing objectives. The applicant's representative, Oisin Daly of Absolute Licence Solutions Limited, addressed the committee. He highlighted that Mr. Norris Das, the applicant, was an experienced operator with a good compliance record at his two other shops. Mr. Daly stated that the agreed conditions with the police were fundamental to responsible alcohol sales and that the applicant had not blindly accepted them. He also noted that only one representation had been received from 308 addresses consulted, suggesting limited local opposition.

Councillor Andrew Sillett, Chair of the Licensing Sub-Committee, questioned the applicant about the weighting of business towards late evening sales and whether they would consider reducing the hours further, given concerns about people drinking by the river. Mr. Das explained that reducing hours could lead to a loss of approximately 30% of business, as competitors like Tesco and Sainsbury's had later opening hours.

Councillor Peter Higgins also raised concerns about the 11pm closing time for alcohol sales, particularly regarding staff training in identifying intoxicated individuals and the security measures in place. Mr. Daly clarified that the training provided was comprehensive, covering the Licensing Act 2003, licensing objectives, and identifying alcohol dependency. He also confirmed that the premises, approximately 400 square feet, would have one person on the shop floor and one at the counter, and that this staffing level for late hours would be voluntarily added as a condition to the licence.

The committee considered the Secretary of State's Guidance issued under the Licensing Act 2003, the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy, and the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

Decision: The Licensing Sub-Committee decided to grant the application for a new premises licence for Lloyds Local, subject to the conditions agreed with the Metropolitan Police and outlined in Annex 3 of the report. These conditions included:

• Alcohol restrictions: no single cans or bottles, no beer, lager, or cider above 6.0% ABV, and no spirits in containers of 200ml or less.
• Staff training to refuse sales to suspected street drinkers or alcohol-dependent individuals.
• Mandatory CCTV operation, with recordings retained for at least 31 days and footage available to police and authorised officers within 24 hours of a request.
• An incident log to be maintained, recording crimes, ejections, disorder, CCTV faults, and alcohol sale refusals.
• Challenge 25 age verification policy to be implemented, with posters displayed and a refusals record maintained.
• Notices to be displayed advising customers to leave quietly and respect neighbours.
• A voluntary condition to have one staff member on the shop floor and one at the counter during late evening hours.

The decision will be confirmed by email later that day, with full details and reasons to follow within five working days.