The Licensing Sub Committee D met to discuss three applications. They approved a variation to the licence for Copper Cats and they approved two Temporary Event Notices for 51a Tudor Road, but with an earlier end time of 11pm. They also reviewed the licence of La La Land, and decided to modify the conditions of their licence.

Review of La La Land Licence

The committee were asked to review the licence of La La Land, a restaurant at 17-19 Great Eastern Street, after an application for review was made by the Metropolitan Police.

The Metropolitan Police applied for a review of La La Land's licence after an incident on 28 April in which a man was refused entry by security staff at the venue. The man subsequently returned with a firearm and threatened the security staff.

The Police raised a number of concerns about the management of the venue on the night, alleging that they had failed to implement their licence conditions and that they had not cooperated with the police in the aftermath of the incident.

This lack of cooperation has frustrated the investigation and impacted upon the police’s ability to bring the suspect to justice.

Hackney Council, Item 6 Lalaland Review - 25 June 2024 - Police additional Statement Tuesday 25-Jun-2024 14.00 Lice

The committee heard representations from the Police, the licence holder, and a local resident, Conor George, who supported the Police's application for review.

The committee decided to modify the conditions of the licence. They determined that in light of the seriousness of the incident, it was appropriate to impose new conditions to promote the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety. The new conditions include requirements to improve CCTV, to improve staff training, to keep an incident log, and to employ a minimum number of Security Industry Authority registered door staff.

The licence holder had proposed a number of alternative conditions, such as reducing the terminal hour for licensable activities by one hour, but the committee did not consider that these conditions went far enough to address the concerns raised.

Variation to a Premises Licence for Copper Cats

The committee reviewed an application for a variation to the licence for Copper Cats, a bar at 274-276 Kingsland Road. The applicant wanted to vary the licence to allow for:

• The sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises on Friday and Saturday between 10:00 and 23:00
• The removal of a condition preventing the use of the first floor of the premises

No representations were received in respect of this application and no parties spoke at the meeting. The committee approved the variation to the licence.

Applications for Temporary Event Notices

The committee reviewed two applications for temporary event notices for 296 Seven Sisters Road and 51a Tudor Road.

296 Seven Sisters Road

An application for a Temporary Event Notice for the sale of alcohol at 296 Seven Sisters Road was granted without discussion by the committee.

51a Tudor Road

An application for a Temporary Event Notice for the sale of alcohol at 51a Tudor Road was considered by the committee. The application was opposed by the council's Noise Pollution Team. The Noise Pollution Team had received a number of complaints from local residents in relation to previous events held at the venue under temporary event notices, relating to noise nuisance from amplified music, shouting and singing. In particular, events held at the venue had resulted in breaches of the Agent of Change principle, which is enshrined in the National Planning Policy Framework.

The ‘Agent of Change’ principle will be applied to applications for new development, so that:

• where a proposed development is to be located near an existing business or community facility, the onus will be on the developer (i.e. the ‘agent of change’) to ensure that the new development can be effectively insulated from any noise or vibration, and vice versa

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, National Planning Policy Framework

The Noise Pollution Team requested that a number of conditions be attached to the notice if it were to be granted, including that all amplified music cease at 23:00.

The committee heard from the Noise Pollution Team, and from the applicant. The applicant explained that they would be willing to accept a number of conditions, including the terminal hour of 23:00 for amplified music. They also argued that they had taken steps to reduce noise levels, such as employing an acoustic consultant and installing noise limiters.

The committee decided to grant the temporary event notice, but with a terminal hour for licensable activities of 23:00. The committee determined that this would be sufficient to prevent public nuisance and promote the licensing objectives.