The meeting of Camden Council's Licensing Panel C on 5 September 2024 saw the councillors make decisions on three licensing applications. All three applications - for Farmer J, Fresh Food and News and Humdingers Camden - were granted, but with conditions attached to their licences.

Farmer J, 1 Woburn Place, London WC1H 0LQ

The Panel considered an application for a new premises licence for Farmer J at 1 Woburn Place. The application had been the subject of representations from residents and responsible authorities when it was first submitted, but these were withdrawn before the meeting.

The Licensing Officer introduced the report and clarified that the Police and Licensing Responsible Authorities had withdrawn their representations following negotiations with the Applicant. One of the Interested Parties had also withdrawn his representation the previous day.

Sushil Vashisht, a local resident, addressed the Panel to express his concerns about the application.

He expressed his concerns about excessive noise and congestion in the area being worsened by a new licensed premises and had concerns about littering by the public.

The applicant's representative, David Inzani, argued that the restaurant would be unlikely to cause the problems that Mr Vashisht was concerned about.

Mr Inzani, said that the premises had a limited alcohol offer, was at the “high end” of the market and that the sale of food would be the primary purpose of the business. He said the premises was thus unlikely to be one which would contribute to public nuisance or crime and disorder.

In response to questions from the Panel, Mr Inzani agreed that Farmer J would not sell alcohol for delivery, that it would stop serving alcohol 20 minutes before closing time, and that it would take part in the Ask for Angela scheme.

The panel decided to grant the licence, with conditions including that alcohol could only be sold until 8:40pm, and that the restaurant take part in Ask for Angela.

Fresh Food and News, 13 Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AG

This application for a new premises licence was for an off-licence at 13 Chalk Farm Road. Because the shop is in the Camden Town Cumulative Impact Special Policy Area,¹ the Licensing Authority made a representation objecting to the application.

The Licensing Officer introduced the report and highlighted that the application was for a premises in the Camden Town Cumulative Impact Special Policy Area. Representations had been received from a Responsible Authority, from a residents’ association and local residents.

TRACT (Tenants and Residents’ Associations of Camden Town) also objected to the application, arguing that another off-licence would worsen the problems of crime, disorder and public nuisance already found in Camden Town.

A new premises in the area would increase cumulative impact, in terms of noise, anti-social behaviour, crime and disorder. There were a number of open spaces and public areas nearby where street drinkers could congregate. Other retailers had 10% of display space being alcohol, so the proposed 20% was excessive.

Representing the applicant, Graham Hopkins said that because the shop would only be open during framework hours² and would not sell high-strength beer or cider, it would not add to the problems that TRACT had described.

The Applicant’s Representative addressed the Panel and made the following points in his submission:  The Police had not lodged an objection, and the Panel should give weight to this as they were the main body charged with raising crime and disorder concerns.  The premises did not intend to serve street drinkers or to have that much passing trade, but would mainly be for local residents.

Mr Hopkins also committed to only using 20% of the shop's floorspace to display alcohol, and to training staff in the council's Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) policy and the Mayor of London's Women's Night Safety Charter.

The Licensing Panel decided to grant the licence with a number of conditions, including that only 20% of the floor space be used to display alcohol and that staff receive training in WAVE.

Humdingers Camden, 39 Brecknock Road, London N7 0BT

The final item on the agenda was an application from Humdingers, a coffee bar and restaurant on Brecknock Road in Tufnell Park, to sell alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises.

A local resident, Paul Oliff, spoke against the application. He said that residents of the flat above the restaurant had made repeated complaints about noise coming from the cafe, and were concerned that these problems would get worse if the cafe gained an alcohol licence. He also alleged that Humdingers had behaved aggressively towards residents in the past.

An Interested Party, Paul Oliff, addressed the Panel and spoke to the representations that residents had made. Key points in his presentation were:  The block of flats they lived in shared a party wall with Humdingers’ premises.  An alleyway which was the only way to access their flat had been used as a dumping ground for rubbish by the operators of the premises.  There had been Instagram posts mocking residents and the Council when the request for sound-proofing was made at a previous licensing panel.  There had been aggressive behaviour by employees of the premises and their contractors towards residents.  The Applicant had been disingenuous in their communications with residents and the Council.

The applicant's representative, Nick Semper, said that the noise problems had been addressed, and that because the cafe would close at 10pm and was not alcohol-led , it was unlikely to cause problems for residents.

Mr Semper presented the Applicant’s case and made the following points:  The premises was a coffee bar and restaurant that wanted to expand its offer to include alcohol. It would not be an alcohol-led premises.  The capacity of the premises was 50, so it would be a small venue.  A full professional noise survey had been carried out, which demonstrated that the premises had taken measures to stop the egress of noise.  A licensing officer had visited the premises had been satisfied by what he saw.  There had been no Police or Environmental Health representations, indicating the premises was not a cause of crime and disorder or public nuisance concerns.

The Licensing Panel agreed to grant the licence, with conditions including that it must close at 10pm, that it must prevent its customers from smoking in the alleyway next to the building, and that it must incorporate Camden's Women's Safety Principles into its operation.