The Licensing Panel of Harrow Council met on Tuesday 8 October 2024 to consider an application to vary a premises licence for IZZY FOOD CENTRE. The panel granted the application, allowing for extended alcohol sales hours, but with amended and additional conditions to strengthen the promotion of licensing objectives.

IZZY FOOD CENTRE Premises Licence Variation

The Licensing Panel granted the application to vary the premises licence for IZZY FOOD CENTRE, located at 380 Kenton Road, Harrow, HA3 8DP, to match its opening hours of Monday to Sunday, 00:00 to 23:59, for the sale of alcohol. This decision was made after considering representations from the applicant, CB Market Ltd, and an objector, Councillor Rabadia, who was acting on behalf of local residents.

The applicant sought to extend the alcohol sales hours from the existing 06:00 to 23:00 to a full 24-hour period. Councillor Rabadia, representing residents, raised concerns about potential increases in anti-social behaviour, street drinking, noise nuisance, and general unlawful behaviour. The objector argued that the current licence operated well and that extending the hours was not justified, especially given the premises' location in a residential area rather than a town centre.

The panel carefully considered all representations, the Licensing Act 2003, the Statutory Guidance issued under section 182 of the Act, and the London Borough of Harrow's Statement of Licensing Policy. The applicant presented data suggesting a fall in local crime and highlighted the absence of objections from the police or other responsible authorities. They also detailed their robust staff training procedures, use of incident and refusal logs, and existing security measures.

While granting the variation, the panel introduced several new and amended conditions to the licence to further promote the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. These include:

• CCTV Coverage: The existing CCTV condition was clarified to ensure all areas of the premises are covered, with specific cameras pointing at entry/exit points and the till.
• Staff Training: The condition for regular staff training was amended to mandate training at least every six months in responsible alcohol retailing.
• Alcohol Refusal Log: A new condition requires a detailed log of all refused alcohol sales, including date, time, and staff member's name, to be maintained and available for inspection.
• Significant Incident Log: A new condition mandates the Designated Premises Supervisor to maintain a record of Significant Incidents for at least 12 months. This includes failures of electronic systems, CCTV issues, refusals of alcohol sales, calls to the police regarding illegal drugs, assaults, and other matters affecting licensing objectives.

The panel noted that dialogue between the applicant and residents should continue to foster neighbourliness. The decision to grant the variation was made with the satisfaction that the applicant could continue to comply with the licensing objectives with the extended hours, supported by the enhanced conditions.

The meeting also included the appointment of Councillor Ramji Chauhan as Chair of the Licensing Panel and the noting of no declarations of interest. The panel also outlined the procedures for the oral hearing.

The full details of the decision and the amended licence conditions can be found in the Printed minutes Tuesday 08-Oct-2024 17.30 Licensing Panel.