The Licensing Sub-Committee considered two applications for premises licences. A new premises licence for Ingiltere Tavla Koyu Sosyal Dayanisma Dernegi CIC was granted with amended conditions, while an application to vary the premises licence for Buteco was refused.

Ingiltere Tavla Koyu Sosyal Dayanisma Dernegi CIC, 13C-D Queensway, Enfield, EN3 4SA

The Sub-Committee granted a new premises licence to Ingiltere Tavla Koyu Sosyal Dayanisma Dernegi Community Interest Company (CIC) for their community centre located at 13C-D Queensway, Enfield, EN3 4SA. The application was for a new premises licence to allow for the supply of alcohol, live and recorded music, and late-night refreshments.

During the meeting, concerns were raised by local businesses regarding potential public nuisance and public safety issues, particularly concerning noise, patrons congregating outside the premises, litter, traffic congestion, and the safety of children in the industrial estate environment. The applicant, represented by Robert Sutherland and Kenan Yildirim, explained that the centre operates on a membership basis and hires out the venue for events such as engagements, birthdays, and wakes. They acknowledged past issues that arose when the hall was rented out but stated that greater control is now in place, with hires approved by the committee and a duty manager present during events.

The Sub-Committee considered the applicant's willingness to engage constructively with local businesses and residents. As a result of the deliberations, several conditions were amended or added to the licence to promote the licensing objectives. These included:

• A condition requiring a dedicated and continuously monitored contact telephone number to be available and answered throughout operational hours and for a period following the close of the premises.
• An amendment to the premises plan to reflect an enlarged designated smoking area adjacent to the entrance, with a revised limit of seven persons allowed in this area at any one time.
• A strengthened condition requiring active monitoring and management of the designated smoking area and the area immediately outside the premises by a duty manager or authorised staff member, ensuring children are not permitted outside unless accompanied by an adult.
• A requirement for the premises to maintain a written Traffic Management Policy, with staff trained in its implementation and the policy kept under constant review.
• A requirement for regular written risk assessments addressing all four licensing objectives, with written records maintained and made available to responsible authorities.
• A condition that the need for SIA-registered door supervisors would be assessed on an event-by-event basis through the risk assessment process, and where employed, a register of their attendance and duties would be maintained.

The application was granted in part, subject to these amended and additional conditions and the submission of an amended plan identifying the designated smoking area.

Buteco, First Floor, Unit 7L Nobel Road, London, N18 3BH

The Licensing Sub-Committee refused an application to vary the premises licence for Buteco, located at First Floor, Unit 7L Nobel Road, London, N18 3BH. The application sought to significantly alter the premises' operating model from a café-style restaurant with alcohol ancillary to table meals, to a late-night entertainment venue.

The proposed variations included extending the sale of alcohol on Fridays and Saturdays from 22:30 to 02:30, adding late-night refreshment and regulated entertainment (live music, recorded music, and performances of dance) during the same hours, and updating the premises plan.

Both the Metropolitan Police and the Licensing Authority objected to the application in its entirety. The Police highlighted that the original licence was granted based on a limited café operation with alcohol ancillary to meals and no vertical drinking. They argued that the proposed variation represented a substantial change, moving towards a late-night alcohol-led operation without sufficient safeguards. Concerns were raised about the lack of a robust operating schedule addressing door supervision, capacity management, customer dispersal, and safeguarding, particularly given the premises' location within an industrial estate.

The Licensing Authority's representation detailed breaches of the current premises licence identified during an out-of-hours inspection, including alcohol being served after permitted hours, lack of refused sales records, insufficient signage, and inadequate toilet checks. While acknowledging that these breaches had been rectified, the Authority argued that the premises' demonstrated non-compliance and the proposed significant increase in operating hours and activities would undermine the licensing objectives. They specifically cited concerns regarding public nuisance from patrons leaving late at night, public safety risks in an isolated industrial estate, and the potential for increased crime and disorder.

The applicant's representative, Mr Dejana DeSilva, argued that the extensions were necessary for the business to become profitable, stating that customers arrived late after finishing work. He reassured the committee about the safety of the premises and the lack of issues regarding children. However, the Sub-Committee found that the operating schedule lacked sufficient detail to demonstrate how the licensing objectives would be promoted, particularly concerning crime prevention, customer dispersal, noise management, and public safety.

The Sub-Committee concluded that the proposed variation represented a fundamental change to the licensed operation and that, given the scale of the proposed change and the previous non-compliance, it could not be satisfied that appropriate conditions would adequately promote the licensing objectives. Therefore, the application was refused in full.