The Hackney Council Licensing Sub-Committee E convened to address concerns regarding several Temporary Event Notices (TENs) submitted for Hatch Homerton, a cafe bar located at Unit G2, 8 Mackintosh Lane, London E9 6AB. The committee decided to issue counter notices for all four TENs, effectively preventing the proposed events from taking place. Councillor Gilbert Smyth was elected as Chair of the meeting.

Hatch Homerton Temporary Event Notices

The sub-committee convened to discuss Temporary Event Notices (TENs) for Hatch Homerton, after objections were raised by both the Metropolitan Police and the council's Environmental Protection team. The primary concern was the prevention of public nuisance, stemming from noise complaints and disturbances to nearby residents.

Four separate TENs were under consideration:

• October 11, 2025: Environmental Protection raised concerns about potential crime, disorder and public nuisance, citing previous complaints of loud music and disturbances.
• November 2, 2025: Both the Metropolitan Police and Environmental Protection objected, referencing previous noise complaints and the need to assess the October 11 event before allowing further events.
• November 9, 2025: Similar objections from the Metropolitan Police and Environmental Protection, pending the outcome of the October 11 event.
• November 23, 2025: Again, objections from the Metropolitan Police and Environmental Protection due to prior noise issues and the unresolved status of the October 11 event.

The Public Reports Pack included copies of the TENs, objections from responsible authorities, the current premises licence, and a location map.

Objections

Gurch Patti from Environmental Protection, detailed the grounds for objection, stating that the team had:

received complaints from nearby residents alleging disturbances from loud music and patrons outside the venue. Environmental Protection received a complaint on Saturday 21st June 2025 at 23:23. Environmental Protection officers visited the residents home on 22nd June 2025 at 00:26 and witnessed loud music amounting to a statutory noise nuisance. Environmental Protection has served the licensee with an abatement notice (s.80 Environmental Protection Act 1990).

PC Neal Hunwick of the Metropolitan Police, also objected to the TENs, stating that the venue had:

attracted previous noise complaints when operating on TENs and we therefor need to see that the event proposed for the 11th October passes without incident.

Licensing Policy Considerations

The sub-committee considered Hackney Council's licensing policy, which prioritises the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm¹. The council's policy also states that when considering an objection to a TEN, the council will assess any history of complaints, consider the track record of the premises user, and consider any control measures proposed to mitigate the objection.

Decision

Ultimately, the sub-committee determined that allowing the events to proceed would undermine the licensing objectives, particularly the prevention of public nuisance. They decided to issue counter notices for all four TENs. The sub-committee's reasoning was based on the history of noise complaints, the witnessed statutory noise nuisance, and the potential for further distress to local residents. The sub-committee felt that considerably more work was needed to satisfy them that noise from the premises would remain within acceptable levels.