The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to convene to consider a request to vary the premises licence for Eastwood Off-Licence. The sub-committee was also scheduled to discuss the procedure for licensing hearings. Councillors Saira Y. Jamil, Muhammed Javed and Jamal Uddin were scheduled to be in attendance.

Eastwood Off-Licence, Goodmayes

The sub-committee was scheduled to consider an application from Rajwinder Kaur to vary the premises licence for Eastwood Off-Licence, 821 High Road, Goodmayes, IG3 8TD. The application concerned premises licence No. 085287, and sought to extend the hours for the sale of alcohol and the opening hours of the premises. The report pack included a recommendation to consider the options provided under section 35 of the Licensing Act 2003, and to decide whether to grant the application in whole, grant the application with modifications, grant the application in part only, or reject the whole of the application.

Currently, the licence permits the supply of alcohol for consumption off the premises:

• Monday to Saturday 08:00 until 23:00
• Sunday 10:00 until 22:30

And allows the premises to be open to the public:

• Monday to Saturday 08:00 until 23:00
• Sunday 10:00 until 22:30

The variation application requested the following:

• Sale by Retail of Alcohol for Consumption Off the Premises Monday to Sunday: 06:30 until 04:30 the following day
• Hours premises are open to the public Monday to Sunday: 06:30 until 04:30 the following day

The application also requested that three existing conditions be removed from the licence:

• No beers, lagers and ciders above 6.5% ABV[^2] shall be sold or offered for sale at the premises.
• Single cans of beers, lagers and ciders shall not be sold at the premises at any time.
• No spirits shall be sold at the premises in bottles of 35cl (centilitres) or less.

Representations against the application had been received from the Metropolitan Police Licensing Team, the Council's Licensing Enforcement Team, and the Community Protection Task Force (CPTF). The representations raised concerns that the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime and disorder, prevention of public nuisance and public safety could be undermined if the variation to the licence was granted.

PC Dean Birch, Police Licensing Officer, stated that the police objected to the application on the grounds of the Prevention of Crime & Disorder, Prevention of Public Nuisance and Public Safety. PC Birch noted that the applicant was granted a new premises licence approximately 15 months ago, in July 2024, after consultation with the applicant and them agreeing to operate to the framework hours. He stated that:

These hours and conditions were proposed to uphold the licensing objectives particularly around the Prevention of Crime and Disorder as this area is considered as a High Impact Zone that is suffering due to street drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Mohammed Serdouk, Licensing Enforcement Officer, stated that his primary concerns related to the potential impact of the variations on the Prevention of Crime and Disorder, Public Safety, and the Prevention of Public Nuisance. Mr Serdouk noted that the premises was issued with a formal Warning Notice on 11 November 2024 for breach of existing licence conditions.

April Smart, Senior Noise Nuisance Officer for the Community Protection Team, raised concerns that allowing the shop to sell high alcohol content drinks and single cans of drinks would attract further anti-social behaviour to the area as street drinkers would come to this premises to buy alcohol. Ms Smart also noted that the premises has flats above and to the side, and that allowing the shop to remain open until 04:30 would encourage local street drinkers to congregate in the area and disturb the residents.

Procedure for Licensing Hearings

The sub-committee was scheduled to discuss the procedure to be adopted at the hearing. This included:

• A short factual summary of the application by an officer of the Licensing Authority.
• Consideration of evidence from the applicant, any witnesses, and responsible authorities.
• Questioning of the applicant/licensee and their witnesses by responsible authorities and members.
• Summing up by each responsible authority making relevant representation, followed by the applicant/licensee.
• Private deliberation by the sub-committee to decide the matter.
• Official notice of the decision to be sent to all parties within 5 working days.