This meeting will consider an application for the grant of a premises licence for a shop in Walthamstow. The application has received representations from the Trading Standards and Licensing departments of Waltham Forest Council, and the meeting will decide whether to approve the application. The application was previously due to be considered in December 2024 but the meeting was adjourned.

St James's Food Store, 44 St James's Street Walthamstow

The Licensing sub-committee will consider a report about an application for a new premises licence for St James's Food Store. St James's Food Store is applying for a licence to sell alcohol off the premises between 8am and 11pm, 7 days a week. The applicant has provided the licensing authority with a plan of the shop floor, showing where the alcohol will be displayed and the location of the counter.

The application has been made by Nargis Nazmi Sadak on behalf of St James's Food Store Ltd.¹ Their application was supported by a licensing consultant called Aysen Ipek Kilic from Narts Consultancy Ltd of 68 Stoke Newington High Street.²

The application has received representations from Ms Sandra Bennett, Team Manager of Trading Standards³ at Waltham Forest Council, and Fareeha Malik, Licensing Enforcement Officer, objecting to the licence being granted.

Ms Bennett's representation objects on the basis that:

the applicant, Nargis Nazmi Sadak, may have a connection to the business that has been operating at said premises under Mr Bilgin Redzheb. ... on Tuesday, 30 July 2024, the Licensing Sub-Committee reviewed, and consequently revoked the premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003, based on the grounds that the licensing objectives had been undermined due to illicit tobacco products found on the premises and the illegal sale of these products. Officers also witnessed the sale of alcohol to a minor and the sale of a disposable e-cigarette (vape) to a minor.

Ms Malik's representation expresses concerns that:

the applicant is connected to the same ownership and management who have been running the premises for many years up until the licence was revoked on 30.07.24 at a review called by the Trading Standards team of Waltham Forest Council.

A representative from the Metropolitan Police's North East Basic Command Unit Licensing Team, Chloe Kisby, has discussed the application with the applicant. Following the discussion, the applicant has agreed to a number of additional conditions being added to their operating schedule. The conditions include restrictions on the sale of high-strength alcohol:

Beers, lagers, stout and ciders sold at the premises shall not exceed 6% alcohol volume. Spirits shall not be sold in bottles of less than 70cl.

The conditions also cover the provision of CCTV at the shop:

A CCTV system shall be installed at the premises. The CCTV system shall be maintained in working condition and record the premises 24 hours every day. Recordings shall be retained for a minimum of 31 days and shall be made available to the Police or the Licensing Authority upon request for the provision of preventing and detecting crime, anti-social behaviour, breaches of the licence conditions and the four licensing objectives and shall be capable of identification and of evidential quality in any light conditions. The equipment MUST have a suitable export method i.e. CD/DVD/USB facility so that the Police and officers of the Council can make an evidential copy of the data they require.

The sub-committee will be asked to decide whether to grant the licence in full, with the conditions requested by the applicant and Ms Kisby, to refuse the application, or to grant the licence with additional conditions.