The Licensing Sub-Committee of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea met on Tuesday 28 July 2026 to consider a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) for the basement forecourt at 30 Cambridge Gardens. The committee decided to issue a counter notice, meaning the permission for the sale of alcohol requested in the TEN was not approved. This decision was made because the committee felt that allowing the event would undermine the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder and ensuring public safety.

Temporary Event Notice for 30 Cambridge Gardens

The Licensing Sub-Committee considered a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) submitted by Marlon Bryan for the basement forecourt at 30 Cambridge Gardens, London W10. The TEN sought permission to sell alcohol off the premises during Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August 2026, between 12:00 and 19:00 each day, with a maximum capacity of 50 people.

The Licensing Authority received objections from the Metropolitan Police on the grounds of preventing crime and disorder and public safety, and from the Council's Noise and Nuisance team on the grounds of public nuisance and public safety.

Applicant's Case: Marlon Bryan, the applicant, and Victoria Tew, who works with him, presented their case. They highlighted their experience operating at Notting Hill Carnival for the past four years, including at the 30 Cambridge Gardens location in 2022, 2023, and 2024, stating they had no previous complaints or issues. They explained that due to a previous application for a different site (8 Pearl Grove) not being accepted, they had additional staff available, including three SIA security guards (Marlon Bryan himself being one), to manage crowd control and public safety at 30 Cambridge Gardens. They clarified that their location is in a forecourt, not directly on the parade route, and is situated near other food and drink vendors, which they argued makes it less congested than depicted in a photograph submitted by the police. They also stated that they would be selling alcohol for consumption off the premises, with customers expected to take their purchases away. Mr. Bryan also mentioned that they had an Event Management Plan, risk assessment, and site map included in their application, contrary to a statement from PC Janelle.

Objections: PC Mark Perry from the Metropolitan Police stated that Cambridge Gardens is a busy thoroughfare linking the parade route to Portobello Road and also hosts the Lord Gallie sound system. He argued that it is simply not possible to run a bar safely in this area with this number of people and that the risk of fatalities from a surge or crush is too high. He explained that the police's objection was not against the applicant but against the inherent risks of operating a bar in such a crowded location, stating that no risk assessment in the world from an applicant running a bar out of a patio could possibly deal with the risk of the sheer number of people and volume of people there are there. He added that the police's role is to deal with serious incidents, not to be deployed to manage situations that could be avoided.

Matt McIlroy, representing the Noise and Nuisance team, echoed the police's concerns regarding public safety and the potential for the operation to exacerbate congestion. He noted that while noise is a factor at Carnival, the primary objection was geared towards public safety due to crowd flow.

Decision: The Licensing Sub-Committee carefully considered the submissions and decided to issue a counter notice under section 105 of the Licensing Act 2003¹. This means the Temporary Event Notice was not approved, and permission for the sale of alcohol was refused. The committee concluded that allowing the event would undermine the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder and ensuring public safety. A summary decision was to be provided in writing within five working days, followed by a full determination with reasons.