The Licensing Sub-Committee of Ealing Council met on Friday 27 September 2024 to consider a summary review of the premises licence for Stack Bar. The committee decided to remove the Designated Premises Supervisor, Mr Petrit Pergjergji, from his position and bar him from the premises until the full review hearing. Additionally, modifications were made to the licence conditions regarding SIA-licensed door supervisors and the notification of incidents.

Summary Review of Stack Bar

The primary focus of the meeting was a summary review of the premises licence for Stack Bar, located at 4 The Mall, Ealing, W5 2PJ. The Metropolitan Police applied for this review following an incident on 19 September 2024, where the licence holder and Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), Mr Petrit Pergjergji, seriously assaulted two males. The police certified that the premises were associated with serious crime, believing the conduct of the premises showed a disregard for the Licensing Objectives and placed the public at risk of serious harm.

During the hearing, Mr Armin Solimani, representing the Police, presented the case. He detailed the incident where Mr Pergjergji allegedly assaulted two males, categorising it as Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH). Mr Solimani stated that the police had lost trust in Mr Pergjergji's ability to uphold the licensing agreement and requested a full suspension of the licence until the review hearing. He explained that the assault was serious, and Mr Pergjergji's actions of leaving the injured men without calling for assistance were reckless.

Mr Ryan Dowding, representing Stack Bar, acknowledged the incident but argued that Mr Pergjergji's actions were in self-defence. He presented Stack Bar as a successful local business with community support, highlighting that 500 signatures were gathered in the past when the premises sought to extend its operating hours. Mr Dowding suggested removing Mr Pergjergji as DPS and banning him from the premises as an alternative to a full licence suspension.

The sub-committee reviewed CCTV footage of the incident. Following discussions and summations from both the police and the defence, the committee made the following decisions:

• Removal of Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS): Mr Petrit Pergjergji was removed from his position as DPS and barred from the premises until the full review hearing.
• Modification of Licence Conditions:
  • The minimum requirements for an SIA-licensed door supervisor, as outlined in Condition 23 of the premises licence, will remain unchanged but must always be external and independent from the premises.
  • The DPS is now required to notify the appropriate authorities of incidents occurring both inside the premises and in the surrounding area. This expands the effective area of responsibility under Condition 30 to include incidents outside the establishment.

The meeting was chaired by Councillor J Ball, with Councillor R Baaklini and Councillor K Nagpal also in attendance. Unyime Davies served as the Legal Adviser to the Panel, and Sean O'Brien was the Democratic Services Officer. The police representatives included Mr Armin Solimani, PC Victoria Hewison, and Sergeant Dimitri Cassar. Mr Petrit Pergjergji attended with his solicitor, Mr Ryan Dowding.

The full details of the premises licence, including its conditions, can be found in the Premises Licence document. Further information regarding the decisions made can be found in the Decisions document.