The Licensing Panel C meeting was scheduled to discuss a review of a premises licence for Lebanese Grill Express and to agree procedure rules for remote meetings. The panel was also due to consider apologies, declarations of interest, and any urgent business.

Guidance on Remote Meetings

The panel was scheduled to agree the procedure rules for remote meetings, as outlined in the Guidance on Remote Meetings held under the Licensing Act 2003 and Associated Regulations document. This guidance covers the system for conducting remote hearings via Microsoft Teams, including participant etiquette, handling of late papers, and procedures for dealing with interruptions to connections and voting.

Review of Premises Licence for Lebanese Grill Express

The primary item for discussion was an application to review the premises licence for Lebanese Grill Express, located at 84 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TT. This review was initiated by the Environmental Health Responsible Authority, citing concerns that the Prevention of Public Nuisance licensing objective was not being upheld.

The report detailed numerous complaints received from residents and other responsible authorities regarding issues such as:

• Noise and Odour: Persistent complaints about noise and strong cooking odours emanating from the kitchen extract system. Enforcement Abatement Notices had been served under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, with allegations of non-compliance.
• Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB): Reports of customers congregating outside the premises late at night, causing noise, intimidation, and littering. This included issues with vehicles revving engines, playing loud music, and dangerous driving.
• Litter and Waste: Significant amounts of litter and waste being discarded in the surrounding streets and residential areas, attracting pests and creating an unhygienic environment.
• Smoke Emissions: Concerns were raised about excessive smoke from the premises' extraction system, impacting air quality and causing a public nuisance.
• CCTV Compliance: Allegations of the CCTV system not being maintained or operational as per licence conditions.

Numerous representations were received, with the majority supporting the review application and recommending the revocation of the licence. These representations came from residents, resident associations, community groups, and various council departments including Environmental Health, the Police Licensing Team, Community Safety Enforcement, and the Air Quality Team.

A smaller number of representations supported the premises, citing its contribution to the local economy and the generally positive behaviour of its customers.

The report outlined the options available to the Licensing Panel, which included allowing the licence to continue, modifying conditions, excluding licensable activities, removing the designated premises supervisor, suspending the licence, or revoking the licence.

The panel was also provided with the premises licence details, including its authorisation for Late Night Refreshment from Monday to Sunday between 23:00 and 01:00, and its overall opening hours of 10:00 to 01:00. The conditions consistent with the operating schedule were also detailed, covering CCTV, calling the police to incidents, signage, business forums, lighting, encouraging public transport use, creating a family-friendly environment, and a no-smoking policy inside.

The meeting was scheduled to be held remotely via Microsoft Teams and broadcast live on the council's website.