The Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday 6 January 2026 was adjourned due to the absence of the Chair. The meeting was intended to hear and determine an application for the review of the premises licence for Stratford News and Wines. All parties will be informed of the rescheduled date.

Review of Premises Licence for Stratford News and Wines

The primary purpose of this meeting was to consider an application for the review of the premises licence for Stratford News and Wines, located at 107 Romford Road, Stratford, E15 4LY. The review was initiated by the Council's Licensing team, a responsible authority under the Licensing Act 2003¹. The grounds for the review cited concerns relating to all four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

The Licensing Enforcement Officer, Shane Passfield, had documented multiple visits to the premises between June and October 2025, noting ongoing issues with street drinkers purchasing alcohol and consuming it in the vicinity, leading to litter, public urination, and evidence of drug paraphernalia. The report detailed instances of sales to intoxicated individuals and known street drinkers, as well as the discarding of empty containers. Despite warnings and engagement with the licence holder, Mr Harmon Singh Sarin, the issues persisted.

The Licensing Authority proposed that if the licence were not revoked, specific conditions should be added to the licence. These included restrictions on the sale of spirits in bottles less than 35cl, screening off alcohol outside permitted hours, limiting the display of spirits to staff-accessible areas, prohibiting the sale of beer, cider, lager, and stouts of 6% ABV or above, marking all alcohol containers with the premises' details, requiring the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), licence holder, or a personal licence holder to be present during licensable hours, and mandating the sale of a minimum of four cans or bottles of cider, stout, lager, or beer at any one time. Additionally, the Licensing Authority recommended that the licence holder and staff undertake Welfare and Vulnerability Training, along with Violence Against Women and Girls training, due to concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable individuals and prostitution issues in the area.

The licence holder, Mr Harmon Singh Sarin, had responded via email, stating that he did not believe there were any concerns relating to the premises licence and that imposing restrictions would not help tackle the issue of homelessness and alcoholism. He argued that such restrictions would negatively impact the business, which was already struggling.

However, the meeting was adjourned before any determination could be made on the review application.