The Licensing Sub-Committee of Croydon Council met on Thursday 10 September 2026 to consider an application to vary the premises licence for Admiral, an Adult Gaming Centre located at 6 Westow Hill, Upper Norwood, SE19 1RX. The application sought to extend the operating hours from 8am to midnight daily to 24 hours a day, and to amend a condition regarding staffing levels. The meeting was scheduled to hear representations from interested parties and responsible authorities regarding this application.

Application to Vary Premises Licence for Admiral, 6 Westow Hill, Upper Norwood, SE19 1RX

The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application to vary the premises licence for Admiral, an Adult Gaming Centre (AGC) at 6 Westow Hill, Upper Norwood, SE19 1RX. The applicant, Luxury Leisure, sought to remove the existing condition restricting operating hours to between 8am and midnight daily, and to allow for 24-hour operation. This variation would also necessitate an amendment to the staffing condition, which currently states there should be no single staffing after 8pm daily.

The report pack indicated that the application was accompanied by extensive documentation, including a detailed skeleton argument from the applicant, Luxury Leisure. This argument outlined their position that the variation sought would be reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives, which are: preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder; ensuring gambling is conducted in a fair and open way; and protecting children and other vulnerable persons from harm or exploitation. Luxury Leisure highlighted their track record as a responsible operator and presented evidence from independent consultants, Leveche Associates, and their own Risk and Compliance Director, Mark Thompson, suggesting that 24-hour operation would not undermine the licensing objectives.

The report pack also detailed that representations had been received from fifteen Interested Parties¹. These representations raised concerns across all four licensing objectives. Specifically, concerns were voiced about potential increases in crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour, noise, and littering. There were also concerns about the impact on vulnerable individuals, including those with addictive behaviours or impaired judgement, and the potential for increased gambling-related harm. Some representations also questioned the fairness and openness of the gaming machines themselves.

The report pack included a Local Risk Assessment conducted by Luxury Leisure, which detailed measures in place to mitigate risks to the licensing objectives. This included staff training, CCTV coverage, access control systems, and policies regarding customer interaction and self-exclusion.

Furthermore, the report pack contained a planning permission decision notice from 29 October 2025, which granted the removal of a condition restricting opening hours for the premises, allowing for 24-hour operation from a planning perspective. This decision was made following an application by Luxury Leisure and in line with the planning officer's recommendation. The report noted that while planning and licensing are separate regimes, the planning authority's decision was considered relevant.

The meeting was scheduled to hear from Councillor Appu Srinivasan, Chair of the Licensing Sub-Committee, alongside Councillors Jose Piedade Fernandes and Adam Kellett. Liam Semugabi, Democratic Services Officer, was also listed as an attendee.