The Kensington and Chelsea Licensing Sub-Committee is scheduled to convene to consider an application for a new premises licence for Star Kebab House. The application seeks to extend the hours for late-night refreshment, both indoors and outdoors. This has drawn significant attention, with numerous representations both supporting and opposing the application.

Star Kebab House Licensing Application

The sub-committee will consider an application by Earl's Court Food Limited for a premises licence for Star Kebab House, 178 Earl's Court Road, in the Earl's Court ward.

Star Kebab House currently has a premises licence (LICPR/13/129160) that allows it to provide late-night refreshment indoors and outdoors from 11pm to 2am daily. The applicant, Earl's Court Food Limited, is seeking a new licence to extend these hours:

The report pack includes a copy of the current licence as Appendix A - Current Licence, the grant application as Appendix B - Grant Application_Redacted, and the plans for the premises as Appendix C - Plans.

The applicant states that no alcohol will be served and offers steps to promote the licensing objectives¹, including:

• Keeping the pavement area clear of litter and washing it down daily.
• Clearing litter up to 20 metres away from the premises after closing.
• Maintaining a dedicated telephone number for the duty manager to handle complaints.
• Keeping an incident log available for inspection by authorised officers.
• No deliveries will be made by the proprietor or any third-party companies.
• Rubbish, including bottles and cans, shall not be deposited outside the premises between 23:00 and 07:00.

Representations

The council has received representations from various parties regarding the application.

• Noise and Nuisance: Mr Matt McIlroy, on behalf of RBKC Noise and Nuisance, has submitted a representation concerning the prevention of public nuisance, included as Appendix D - Noise_Redacted. Mr McIlroy suggests formal conditions to protect residential amenity, including prohibiting delivery services, controlling noise and vibration, preventing cooking odours, closing external doors and windows from 9pm (except for access), displaying notices asking patrons to respect residents, and restricting rubbish disposal times.

• Other Parties: The licensing authority has received 112 representations opposing the application, including submissions from Councillor Linda Wade, Councillor Hamish Adourian and Councillor Tim Verboven, and several local residents' associations. The representations opposing the grant are attached as Appendix E - Reps. Concerns include:

  • Worsening antisocial behaviour, including shouting, street drinking, and drug dealing.
  • Disturbance from delivery riders loitering, revving engines, and leaving litter.
  • Undermining the existing Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).
  • Limited police visibility and enforcement capacity after 23:00.
  • The proposal is incompatible with the residential nature of Earl's Court and conflicts with the council's policy identifying midnight as the latest appropriate terminal hour in residential areas.
  • The area is already saturated with late-night outlets, producing continuous background noise.
  • Concerns about speeding scooters, riders using pavements, and travelling the wrong way on one-way streets.
  • Families living nearby state that children are woken by shouting and engine noise during the night.
  • The proposed hours are viewed as inconsistent with a family-friendly neighbourhood containing schools and nurseries.
  • Granting the application is seen as setting a precedent for other outlets to seek similar extensions.
  • Residents argue that further late-night trade will undermine regeneration objectives and efforts to make the area safer and cleaner.

• Five representations supporting the application have also been received, included in the report pack as Appendix F. Supporters state that the business is a long-standing, family-run establishment that provides a valuable service to shift workers, travellers, and local residents. They describe the restaurant as clean, friendly, and affordable, adding safety and life to the street when other premises are closed. Supporters also note that no alcohol is sold and that the owner is courteous and responsible.

Other Information

• Complaints: No noise/nuisance complaints have been received in the preceding 24 months.
• Temporary Event Notices: The premises have been subject to two Temporary Event Notices in the past year, listed as Appendix G.
• Planning Consent: The planning department has confirmed that the site is in use as a hot food takeaway, with no planning restrictions in place. The Planning Officer's comments are attached as Appendix H.

Licensing Policy and Possible Outcomes

The sub-committee is required to consider the representations and take steps necessary to promote the licensing objectives. These steps include:

• Granting the application in full.
• Modifying the conditions of the licence.
• Rejecting the whole or part of the application.

The sub-committee must also have regard to its own Statement of Licensing Policy and the Secretary of State's Guidance, extracts of which are attached as Appendix I and J respectively.

The report pack includes a map of the area and a list of licensed premises in the vicinity as Appendix K and L.

The sub-committee is asked to make a decision on the application for a premises licence under section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003.