The Licensing Sub-Committee of Hillingdon Council met on Monday 10 August 2026 to consider an application to vary a premises licence. The meeting's agenda focused on a single item: an application to vary the licence for the London Empire Hotel.

Application to Vary Premises Licence: London Empire Hotel Limited

The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application to vary the premises licence for the London Empire Hotel, located at 233 High Street, Uxbridge UB8 1LD. The application, submitted by London Empire Hotel Limited, proposed several changes to the existing licence.

The proposed variations included the removal of the licensable activity of Exhibition of Films. Additionally, the applicant sought to reduce the hours for Live Music, Recorded Music, Dancing, Indoor Sporting Events, and the sale of alcohol to between 11:00 and 02:00, Monday to Sunday. The hours for Late Night Refreshment were also proposed to be reduced to between 23:00 and 02:00, Monday to Sunday.

A significant aspect of the application was the proposal to remove all current licence conditions and replace them with a new operating schedule. The report pack detailed these proposed conditions across several categories: General, Prevention of Crime & Disorder, Public Safety, Prevention of Public Nuisance, and Protection of Children from Harm. These new conditions included measures such as the implementation of a Challenge 25 policy, CCTV installation with a 31-day recording system, and comprehensive staff training in responsible alcohol retailing. Specific conditions were also outlined for the prevention of crime and disorder, including detailed CCTV requirements, intruder alarms, incident logs, and the employment of SIA licensed Door Supervisors where identified as necessary by risk assessment. Public safety measures included ensuring fire exit signs were displayed, compliance with fire, health, and safety laws, maintaining CCTV operation, and not exceeding the maximum safe capacity of 450 persons. For the prevention of public nuisance, proposed conditions included a strict policy against serving alcohol to intoxicated individuals, facilitating taxi bookings, encouraging patrons to wait inside, and implementing noise management plans. Conditions for the protection of children from harm focused on the Challenge 25 policy, acceptable forms of identification, and restrictions on under-18s attending certain events.

The report pack noted that the premises currently has a licence authorising the sale of alcohol and regulated entertainment until 06:00 daily, and late-night refreshment until 05:00. The proposed variation would significantly reduce these hours.

The application had attracted several representations. These included a representation from the Planning Authority, concerns from Ward Members Councillor Terence Murray, Councillor Riley Russell, and Councillor Anil Taneja, supported by a petition with 260 signatures. Additionally, four representations were received from interested parties: Asmatullah Rahimi, Serena Bester, Aimee Fullam, and Michael Hurst.

The Ward Councillors' representation raised concerns about the proposed 02:00 finish time and a maximum capacity of 450 people, contrasting this with social media advertisements suggesting a capacity of up to 1000 people. They highlighted the area's existing issues with anti-social behaviour, street drinking, and late-night disorder, arguing that a high-capacity venue would exacerbate these problems. Concerns were also raised about noise disturbance to adjacent residential properties, the adequacy of proposed security measures, and the history of mismanagement at other licensed venues operated by individuals associated with the applicant.

Representations from interested parties and the Planning Authority focused on issues such as traffic congestion, parking problems, noise pollution, littering, vandalism, and anti-social behaviour, particularly during event dispersal. The Planning Authority's representation detailed ongoing enforcement investigations into the unlawful use of the premises as a banqueting suite, citing significant harm to the highway, traffic gridlock, and obstruction of footpaths.

The report pack also included relevant sections of the Secretary of State's Guidance issued under s.182 of the Licensing Act 2003 and Hillingdon's own Licensing Policy, which outline the principles for determining applications, imposing conditions, and considering representations. These sections emphasised that decisions must be evidence-based, proportionate, and directly related to the promotion of the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

The report also provided details of other licensed premises nearby and their operating hours, as well as the current premises licence for the London Empire Hotel. The agenda indicated that the meeting would follow the established Hearing Protocol for Applications for Licensing Sub-Committees.