The Licensing Review Sub-Committee of Greenwich Council met on Wednesday, 5 February 2025, to consider a review of the premises licence for Arnott Close Post Office. The committee resolved to revoke the premises licence.

Premises Licence for Arnott Close Post Office, 6 Arnott Close, London SE28 8BG

The Licensing Sub-Committee resolved to revoke the premises licence for Arnott Close Post Office, located at 6 Arnott Close, London SE28 8BG. This decision followed a review initiated by Royal Borough of Greenwich Trading Standards & Commercial Environmental Health, supported by representations from Public Health and the Metropolitan Police.

The grounds for the review stemmed from an incident on 20 August 2024, where a nicotine-based vape product was sold to a person under the age of 18. Further examination of the premises' electronic point of sale (EPOS) records revealed over 380 unauthorised sales of alcohol occurring outside the licensed hours between 6 June and 21 August 2024.

During the hearing, the licence holder, Mr Jitendra Patel, acknowledged the sale of the vape as a mistake, attributing it to a busy period and a lack of prior staff training. He stated that staff had since received training on the Challenge 25 policy¹ and that measures were being implemented to prevent future issues. However, the committee expressed significant concern regarding the substantial number of unauthorised alcohol sales and the licence holder's admission of not checking the electronic refusals log.

PC Sam Bobb of the Metropolitan Police provided evidence of ongoing anti-social behaviour in the area, including issues related to street drinking, gang presence, and drug dealing, noting that while not solely attributable to the post office, the concentration of premises may exacerbate these problems.

Public Health representatives, Jacqueline Nanteza and Ishwak Ahmed, supported the revocation, citing sustained breaches of licence conditions and the negative impact on the local area, which has higher-than-average rates of alcohol-specific mortality and anti-social behaviour.

The Licensing Sub-Committee, comprising Councillor Joshua Ayodele (Chair), Councillor Linda Bird, and Councillor Roger Tester, found that the conditions attached to the premises licence had been breached, specifically regarding regular sales of alcohol before permitted hours and the failure of the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), Mr Hiteshkumar Patel, to check the refusals log. They were not satisfied that the licence holder and DPS were adequately managing the premises, noting that their apparent distance from day-to-day operations left staff vulnerable. The committee highlighted the significant risk to the protection of children from harm, particularly given the proximity of schools, and the potential for further undetected sales of age-restricted products.

In reaching their decision, the committee disregarded commercial considerations and concluded that the revocation of the licence was the appropriate action to promote the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.