The Licensing Sub-Committee of Hillingdon Council met on Thursday 28 May 2026 to consider an application for a new Premises Licence. The sole item on the agenda was an application for a Premises Licence for The Smoking Jacket at The Old Forge, Rickmansworth Road, Northwood.

Application for a Premises Licence: The Smoking Jacket

The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to consider an application for a new Premises Licence for The Smoking Jacket, located at The Old Forge, Rickmansworth Road, Northwood HA6 2QN. The application, submitted by A & P Mehta Limited, sought authorisation for the sale of alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises.

The proposed operating hours for the sale of alcohol were from 10:00 to 22:30 from Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 23:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, and 09:00 to 22:30 on Sundays. Additionally, the application included requests for non-standard timings, allowing the sale of alcohol until 01:00 on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

The premises is described as a standalone commercial unit, not currently trading, situated in an area characterised by mixed commercial, hospitality, and educational properties, as well as residential properties.

The application had attracted representations from local residents and the Northwood Residents' Association, primarily objecting on the grounds of preventing public nuisance, crime and disorder, and public safety. Concerns raised included potential noise from customers, smoke from cigar smoking in external areas, parking issues, and the general unsuitability of a licensed premises in a predominantly residential area.

Following discussions with the Licensing Authority, the applicant proposed amendments to the application. These included the alcohol sales ceasing 30 minutes before the premises closes and the agreement to attach several conditions to any licence granted. These conditions aimed to promote the licensing objectives and included measures such as implementing a dispersal policy, displaying signage to encourage quiet departure, ensuring CCTV system operability, maintaining an incident log, limiting the number of persons in external areas, ceasing the use of external areas for consumption at 22:00, restricting children's access to external areas, operating a Challenge 25 policy, and maintaining a refusals register.

The report pack also detailed relevant sections of the s182 Guidance and Hillingdon's Licensing Policy, outlining the legal considerations and principles for determining licensing applications, including the importance of considering each application on its own merits, promoting the licensing objectives, and ensuring proportionality in any imposed conditions. The report also noted that the Council's Planning Service had been consulted and had not received any comments.