The Hackney Council Licensing Sub Committee B convened to consider a premises licence application for an Aldi store and to address temporary event notices. Councillor Christopher Kennedy, Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care, Voluntary Sector and Culture, Councillor Gilbert Smyth and Councillor Faruk Tinaz were scheduled to be in attendance.

Aldi, 211 Hackney Road Premises Licence Application

Aldi Soles Limited applied for a premises licence for Aldi, 211 Hackney Road to authorise the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises, seven days a week. The hours requested were from 08:00 to 23:00, which had been amended from an initial request of 06:00 to 00:00 following an agreement with the police. The application is detailed in Appendix A.

The report pack included officer observations that, should the Sub-Committee be minded to approve the application, several additional conditions should be applied to the licence, including:

• Mandatory conditions relating to the supply of alcohol off the premises. These included ensuring a designated premises supervisor¹ (DPS) is in place, implementing an age verification policy, and adhering to minimum drinks pricing.
• Conditions derived from the operating schedule, such as maintaining a CCTV system, adopting a 'challenge 25' policy[^3], and providing staff training.
• Conditions derived from Responsible Authorities representations, including training cashiers to record refusals of sales, prompting age verification on sales tills, employing security guards if needed, and implementing measures to prevent crime and disorder.
• Further conditions relating to waste disposal.

Eleven representations from other persons were received, detailed in Appendices B1 to B11. These representations raised concerns regarding:

• The potential for increased anti-social behaviour and public nuisance due to the premises' location and proposed hours.
• Public health considerations, given the proximity to a homeless shelter and existing issues with addiction in the area.
• Conflicts with Hackney Council's Licensing Policy, particularly regarding core hours and cumulative impact.
• Crime statistics in the area, including shoplifting, anti-social behaviour, and violent offences.
• The protection of children from harm, given the proximity to a school.
• The impact on residential amenity, including noise disturbance and traffic concerns.

Objectors proposed that the licence application should be refused, or that the committee should consider the following conditions:

1. Restricting alcohol sales to 08:00–23:00 daily.
2. Limiting servicing and waste collection hours.
3. Implementing measures to control noise from plant and equipment.
4. Adopting sales controls, such as prohibiting the sale of single cans and high-strength beverages.
5. Providing security personnel and CCTV surveillance.
6. Managing the premises' frontage to prevent littering and disturbance.

The report noted that the Licensing Sub-Committee has a choice to either refuse the application, or approve the application with conditions or restrictions.

Temporary Event Notices

The agenda included a standing item for the consideration of temporary event notices.