The Licensing Sub Committee of Haringey Council met on Thursday 22 February 2024 to consider an application for a variation to an existing premises licence for Krankbrothers at Finsbury Park, London N4. The application sought to increase the event capacity and add an additional event day.

Application for Variation of Premises Licence for Krankbrothers

The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application from Krankbrothers Ltd. for a variation to its existing premises licence. The application proposed two key changes:

• Increased Capacity: An increase in the event capacity from 8,000 persons to 9,999 persons on all event days.
• Additional Event Day: The addition of an extra event day, specifically a Friday, to the existing licence. This would mean that the premises would be permitted to hold two Friday events per calendar year, in addition to the Saturday and Sunday events already covered by the main licence (LN/000023717).

The proposed event site is located to the east of Finsbury Park in the Manor House area, along the carriageway parallel to Green Lanes. This area would be fully enclosed with fencing. The application indicated that this would represent a 2% increase in the event site area compared to the previous year.

The report pack detailed that the applicant, Krankbrothers Ltd., represented by director Kieran Clancy, had submitted an Event Management Plan and site layout plans in support of their application. These documents were intended to address the promotion of the licensing objectives.

Representations Received

The application had attracted representations from Other Persons, specifically residents, resident groups, and park groups, who objected to the proposed variations. The grounds for these objections were cited as:

• Prevention of crime and disorder
• Prevention of public nuisance
• Public safety
• Protection of children from harm

These representations raised concerns regarding increased capacity, the general use of the park for events, the duration of occupation, loss of park space, ongoing issues in the area and park, potential for noise nuisance, and increased anti-social behaviour.

Conversely, none of the Responsible Authorities – which typically include bodies such as the Police, Fire Service, and Environmental Health – had raised any objections to the application. However, due to the representations from residents, a hearing was scheduled to consider the application and the relevant objections.

Krankbrothers had submitted supporting documents in response to the residents' concerns. These included an email from the Haringey Events Police Team detailing crime statistics from the 2023 event and an overview from the police. Additionally, Transport for London (TfL) had provided clarification that previous events had not caused operational concerns for TfL at Finsbury Park or Manor House stations and that the requested increase in capacity would not impact station operations. TfL also provided dates of planned engineering works.

Proposed Licence Conditions

The applicant had offered measures within their operating schedule to promote the licensing objectives. The report indicated that if there had been no representations, the licence might have been granted with conditions consistent with the operating schedule, provided they were relevant, proportionate, and enforceable. Members of the Sub-Committee were asked to consider the schedule and incorporate any appropriate conditions if they were minded to grant the application. It was noted that it was possible no additional conditions would be required.

Background and Legal Framework

The report outlined the two-stage process for hosting events in Finsbury Park. Firstly, permission from the Haringey Council Parks Service for the hire of the land is required, with decisions made by the relevant Cabinet Member. Secondly, a premises licence from the Licensing Authority is necessary for the licensable activities. The report clarified that the use of the park and any potential damage were not within the remit of the Licensing Sub-Committee to consider, but assurances were given by the Parks Service regarding thorough assessment of park hire applications.

The discussion was to be guided by the Licensing Act 2003, the Guidance issued by the Secretary of State, and the London Borough of Haringey's Licensing Policy Statement. The licensing objectives – prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, and protection of children from harm – were central to the considerations. The report also referenced Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and relevant Human Rights articles.

The report pack included appendices containing the variation application form, a copy of the existing Krankbrothers Premises Licence, the representations received from Other Persons, and supporting documents from Krankbrothers.

The meeting was scheduled to be held via Microsoft Teams.