The Kingston upon Thames Council Licensing Sub-Committee met on 18 November 2025, and decided to grant a variation to the premises licence for the Kings Tun, a pub on Clarence Street, Kingston upon Thames. The variation allows for extended hours for the sale of alcohol, late night refreshment, and regulated entertainment. The committee also agreed to amend a condition regarding door supervisors, giving the premises licence holder the ability to risk assess door supervisor requirements for nights other than Fridays and Saturdays.

Kings Tun Licence Variation

The Licensing Sub-Committee approved the application for a variation of the premises licence for the Kings Tun, located at 153-157 Clarence Street, KT1 1QT. This decision allows the pub to:

• Extend the terminal hour for the sale of alcohol, late night refreshment, and regulated entertainment (films, live music, recorded music, performance of dance and entertainment of a similar description) until 01:00 Sundays to Thursdays, and until 01:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Extend the terminal hour for opening hours of the premises until 01:30 Sundays to Thursdays, and until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Amend Condition 10 in Annex 2 of the Premises Licence, in relation to door supervisors, to require three Security Industry Authority (SIA)¹ registered Door Supervisors on Friday and Saturday nights, but to leave it to the Premises Licence Holder to risk assess the requirements for the rest of the week.

The application was submitted by JD Wetherspoon Plc, the owner of the Kings Tun. According to the Public reports pack, the company sought the changes due to an increasing trend in customers coming out later in the evening and wanting to stay at the premises longer, arguing that this would help them manage dispersal at the end of the night.

Representations and Concerns

The council consulted 1613 addresses about the application and received three valid representations, one in support and two in objection. A representation was also received from the Metropolitan Police, but was later withdrawn after the applicant agreed to amend their operating schedule.

One local resident raised concerns about potential increases in antisocial behaviour and public drunkenness, stating:

There had been an increase in antisocial behaviour and public drunkenness in his area at night and believed that extending the Kings Tun opening hours would increase the risk of alcohol related problems. This would result in more disturbances, more late night noise, more groups gathering, more litter, more public urination, loitering and more drug-related activities like the laughing gas balloons which they often found scattered around in the morning.

The applicant responded by noting that there had not been a significant number of objections to the application, suggesting that the Kings Tun was not a major source of antisocial behaviour. They also highlighted the pub's close working relationship with the police through the Kingston Pub Watch scheme.

Reasoning for the Decision

In making their decision, the Licensing Sub-Committee considered the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy and guidance issued by the Secretary of State under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003². The committee noted that the Metropolitan Police had withdrawn their representation following amendments to the operating schedule. They also acknowledged the concerns raised by local residents but noted that only two objections were received despite extensive consultation, indicating that the majority of residents did not have concerns.

The committee also took into account the fact that there had been no recent history of complaints or incidents at the premises and that the Kings Tun was considered to be well-run and well-managed.

Conditions

The Licensing Sub-Committee decided to grant the application subject to conditions, including those arising from the applicant's operating schedule and additional conditions imposed by the committee. These conditions cover areas such as:

• Door supervisors: On Fridays and Saturdays, a minimum of three SIA-licensed door supervisors must be on duty from 21:00 hours. The need for door supervisors at other times will be risk-assessed. Body worn cameras must be worn by door staff at a ratio of 1:2 when SIA door supervisors are on duty.
• CCTV: A CCTV system must be installed and maintained, with recordings stored for a minimum of 31 days and made available to the police or authorised officers upon request.
• Staff training: All staff must be trained before being allowed to sell alcohol, with refresher training carried out every 12 months.
• Incident log: An incident log must be kept to record every instance of crime and disorder.
• Age verification: Evidence of age must be requested from anyone appearing to be under the age of 21.
• Risk Assessment Policy: The Premises Licence Holder must adopt a Risk Assessment Policy in relation to the need to employ door supervisors Sundays to Thursdays.

The minutes note that these conditions are in addition to the existing conditions on the current Premises Licence, except for conditions 10 and 12 in Annex 2 of the current licence, which have been replaced by the new conditions.