The Licensing Sub-Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council met to discuss an application to vary the premises licence of Maham Ltd, trading as an off-licence shop at 250 Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen. The committee ultimately decided to refuse the application, citing concerns about breaches of existing licensing conditions, potential increases in anti-social behaviour, and the protection of children from harm.

Maham Ltd Licence Variation Application

The primary focus of the meeting was an application by Fairs and Cares Limited, seeking to extend the hours for the sale of alcohol at Maham Ltd, located at 250 Upper Richmond Road West. The application requested that theSub-Committee vary the existing premises licence to allow the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises:

• Monday to Thursday: 08:00 to midnight (currently 23:00)
• Friday and Saturday: 08:00 to 01:00 (currently 23:00)
• Sunday: 10:00 to midnight (currently 22:30)

The applicant's agent, Manuel Rocha, argued that the extension of hours was necessary for the business to remain financially viable, given competition from larger retailers and 24-hour online delivery services. He also stated that the extended hours would allow for the implementation of additional conditions to promote the four licensing objectives¹.

However, the sub-committee decided to refuse the application for a variation of the existing premises licence. The reasons given were:

• Evidence that the applicant had breached the current conditions on several occasions.
• Concerns regarding unauthorised sales.
• Concerns regarding under-age sales.
• Concerns that anti-social behaviour was emanating from the premises.

The sub-committee said that they were not satisfied that the applicant would adhere to any new conditions imposed by the Licensing Sub-Committee.

Objections

Several local residents and interested parties raised objections to the application. Smita Roy Chowdhury, a local resident, expressed concerns that extending the hours would lead to increased anti-social behaviour and that other establishments would follow suit. She also alleged that the premises had been conducting underage sales and selling alcohol outside of permitted hours.

John Chambers, another resident, echoed these concerns, stating that the premises had a history of selling alcohol illegally after 23:00, leading to problems with anti-social behaviour, noise, and disturbances. He also claimed to have witnessed underage sales and sales to intoxicated individuals. Chambers stated that he had reported these issues to the council's licensing team.

Giti Sorouri, also a local resident, said that the community in the locality resided peacefully and were increasingly experiencing anti-social behaviour in the vicinity, and that increasing the duration of the supply of alcohol in the vicinity to later hours in the evening would be harmful to community safety.

Licensing Officer Comments

Russ Stephens, Principal Licensing Officer, clarified that any sale of alcohol outside the permitted hours of the existing licence would be unauthorised. He also confirmed that the licensing team had received complaints about the premises selling alcohol outside of permitted hours.

Stephens further stated that council officers conducted test purchases on 8 and 9 November 2024, and were able to purchase alcohol at 23:30 and 23:36 respectively. A warning letter was sent to the applicant on 13 January 2025 regarding these unauthorised sales.

Legal Considerations

Saima Khan, Legal Officer, referred to the council's licensing policy, which generally allows shops and supermarkets to sell alcohol whenever they are open, unless there are good reasons based on the licensing objectives for restricting those hours. She also cited Home Office guidance stating that local authorities are best placed to make decisions based on local knowledge and consultation with responsible authorities.