The Licensing (Hearings) Sub-Committee of Leicester Council was scheduled to consider an application for a review of an existing premises licence for City Off Licence. The meeting's agenda also included standard procedural items.

Application for a Review of an Existing Premises Licence - City Off Licence

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to consider a report concerning an application for a review of the existing premises licence for City Off Licence, located at 171a Belgrave Gate, Leicester. The review application was submitted by Leicestershire Police on 17 February 2026.

The grounds for the review application were stated as the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, and the protection of children from harm. The report outlined that Leicestershire Police had concerns that the operator of City Off Licence was not abiding by the law, not adhering to the conditions of its licence, and not promoting the licensing objectives, thereby putting customers at risk of harm.

The report detailed the licensable activities and current hours permitted by the existing licence for City Off Licence: the supply of alcohol and opening hours were both Monday to Sunday from 07:30 to 23:00.

The report indicated that the determination to be made by the Sub-Committee could include rejecting the review application, modifying the conditions of the licence, removing the designated premises supervisor, suspending the licence for up to three months, or revoking the licence. If the review application were rejected, the Sub-Committee would be permitted to issue an informal warning to the licence holder and/or recommend improvements.

The report also referenced relevant sections of the statutory guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, and the relevant parts of the Leicester City Council's Statement of Licensing Policy.

The applicant for the review and the licence holder were expected to clarify certain points at the hearing. The premises licence holder was to be asked whether they considered the concerns outlined in the review to be valid and, if not, why not, and whether they wished to propose any additional steps for the promotion of the licensing objectives. The applicant making the review was to be asked if they had any additional information to support the review and if there were any additional steps that could be taken which would be equally effective in promoting the licensing objectives.

The report also noted that Mr. Nawzad Sharif-Nazhad, the sole premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor for City Off Licence, had previously been the subject of a licence review for Uni Off Licence in 2020, which resulted in that licence being revoked in March 2021. Further, in August 2025, Mr. Sharif-Nazhad had submitted an application to re-licence an off-licence whose licence had been revoked due to illicit cigarettes and tobacco being stored on the premises; this application was withdrawn following a representation from Leicestershire Police.

The report stated that no representations had been received from other parties in relation to this application.

The meeting was scheduled to be held in public, with a procedural guide outlining the steps for information gathering and decision-making, including the opportunity for the applicant to present their case and for questions to be asked by members, officers, statutory consultees, and persons who had made representations. The legal adviser to the Sub-Committee was to provide advice on relevant issues before the members made their decision in private. The applicant would be advised of the decision within five working days of the meeting.