The Licensing Sub-Committee of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council met on Tuesday 4 August 2026 to consider three Temporary Event Notices (TENs) submitted by Mr Damoy Kaeem Robertson for Acklam Village, located at Acklam Road, London, W10 5QZ. The committee decided to issue a counter notice for each TEN, meaning the proposed events were not approved.

Temporary Event Notices for Acklam Village Refused

The Licensing Sub-Committee refused three Temporary Event Notices (TENs) submitted by Mr Damoy Kaeem Robertson for Acklam Village, which would have allowed the sale of alcohol on and off the premises on Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August 2026. The decision was made after objections were raised by the Police and Environmental Health departments, who argued that the events would undermine the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder and ensuring public safety.

The committee considered the submissions from Mr Robertson, Chief Inspector Dominic Nye and PC Mark Perry from the Police, and Mr Kieran McKenna from Environmental Health.

Mr Robertson, who is the managing director of Red Hills Lab and has managed events at Acklam Village for the past three years, stated that he had taken on board previous advice and made adjustments to his plans. He explained that the TENs were for three separate bar areas within Acklam Village, each with a proposed capacity of 499 people. He detailed measures for crowd management, including the use of SIA-accredited staff and physical barriers.

However, Chief Inspector Dominic Nye and PC Mark Perry raised concerns about the increased risk of crime and disorder and public safety issues. Their primary concern was the placement of trading stalls on both sides of Acklam Walk, creating a chicane effect and a potential vortex for crowd surges, particularly given the area's high footfall during Notting Hill Carnival. They also highlighted the lack of clear capacity calculations and the reliance on visual checks for crowd monitoring.

Mr Kieran McKenna from Environmental Health echoed these concerns, stating that the proposed setup differed from the previous year, which had been an improvement. He noted that Acklam Village is a congested area during Carnival and that the proposed events, with stalls on both sides of Acklam Walk, would counteract the council's efforts to improve traffic flow. He also raised concerns about the adequacy of the risk assessment and event management plan, particularly regarding capacity calculations, monitoring, emergency evacuation points, and the integration of other planned events in the vicinity, such as those at Bays 56 and 57 and the House of Vibes event.

The committee placed significant weight on the objections from the Police and Environmental Health, noting that their Statement of Licensing Policy prioritises the evidence provided by these bodies. The committee's concerns included the busy location of the event, the proximity of the three proposed bars, the potential for a total capacity of nearly 1,500 people within Mr Robertson's area alone (not factoring in other stalls), the dual access and egress points contributing to congestion, and the lack of clear crowd control measures like clickers. Ultimately, the committee concluded that there were too many unanswered questions and a lack of overall coordination, leading them to issue a counter notice for each TEN to promote the licensing objectives.