The Kensington and Chelsea Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to convene to consider a notice of objection regarding a temporary event at Meanwhile Gardens during the Notting Hill Carnival. The objection was raised by the Metropolitan Police, citing concerns over crime, disorder and public safety. The sub-committee was to determine whether to issue a counter notice, take no action, or impose conditions on the temporary event notice (TEN).

Temporary Event Notice: Meanwhile Gardens

The sub-committee was scheduled to review a report by the Director of Highway and Regulatory Services concerning a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) submitted by Ms Chandrika Dalpat, project manager, for an event at Meanwhile Gardens, Elkstone Road, during the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August 2025. The application sought permission for regulated entertainment between midday and 7pm on both days, with a maximum capacity of 499 people in the lawn space known as the Festival Site.

According to the report pack, PC Jinelle Caldinez of the Metropolitan Police had lodged an objection to the TEN, asserting that allowing the event to proceed would undermine the licensing objectives related to the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety.

PC Caldinez explains that Meanwhile Gardens, Elkstone Road, is located directly on the main parade route of Notting Hill Carnival, in close proximity to two sound systems (Love TKO and Sir Valdez). The surrounding area experiences high footfall and congestion during the event. Allowing the proposed activity here is likely to generate queues, restrict crowd movement, and create pinch points, increasing the risk of disorder, crushing, and obstruction of emergency access.

The police were concerned that the location was not part of the official event plan and that sufficient arrangements had not been outlined to control numbers or manage crowd flow.

In response to the police objection, Ms Dalpat stated that Meanwhile Gardens Community Association (MGCA) had been organising an event during the Notting Hill Carnival for almost 40 years, and that the organisation had always operated within the council's licensing policy. She also detailed the measures that would be taken to control crowd numbers, including regular inspections of the site, stewarding at the entrances, plastic interlocking barriers, and announcements on the music system.

The report pack included several appendices to provide context for the sub-committee's decision. These included:

• A copy of the Temporary Event Notice, Event Management Plan, Risk Assessment, Site Plan and the Prem Users response to the Police objection (Appendix A - TEN Meanwhile_Redacted).
• A copy of PC Caldinez's representation (Appendix B - Police Meanwhile).
• Extracts from the council's Statement of Licensing Policy (Appendix C - Carnival Policy).
• A map of the area (Appendix D - Map).
• A list of licensed premises within the vicinity (Appendix E - Neighbouring Premises 99 1).
• A map of the 2024 Carnival footprint (Public reports pack 20th-Aug-2025 12.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.pdf).
• A list of temporary event notices received so far for this year's Carnival (Public reports pack 20th-Aug-2025 12.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.pdf).

The sub-committee was asked to consider the objection notice from the police and take one of the following steps: issue a counter notice, take no action, or impose conditions from the premises licence or club premises certificate.