The Licensing Sub Committee B of Hackney Council met to consider an application to vary the Premises Licence for the Habbot Bar and Lounge, 331 Wick Road, London, E9 5DH. The application was made by Mr Abel Nsinga, and fourteen representations were received from local residents objecting to the proposed changes, while the Metropolitan Police and Environmental Health also raised concerns.

Application to Vary a Premises Licence - Habbot Bar and Lounge, 331 Wick Road, London, E9 5DH

Mr Nsinga applied to vary the licence for the Habbot Bar and Lounge to:

• Extend the hours for licensable activities on Wednesday and Friday to Sunday. These include the provision of recorded music, late night refreshment and the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises.
• Change the opening hours of the venue on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The application proposed that the hours for licensable activities and opening hours would be as follows:

The applicant stated that these changes were necessary to ensure the survival of the business, which had been purchased shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unfortunatley Habbot was purchased just before covid. after spending 100.000 on revamping the venue trade has been very very poor ,for Habbot to survive we need to Change of trading hours , Wednesday closeing time 2am ,Friday Saturday closeing time 3am Sunday closeing time 1am Alcohol will only be consumed on the premises. With these changes hopefully we will survive and attract more people from hackney to the venue. Habbot has employed a events manger to take us to the next level. Hackney wick needs this type of venue ,which will also help the othe four shops in the area.

Representations from the Police

The Metropolitan Police raised concerns about the extended hours, particularly on weekdays, noting that they were not adequately addressed in the application. The Police also highlighted previous issues with noise and anti-social behaviour from patrons, particularly in relation to parking. The lack of clarity regarding the provision of SIA-registered security staff was also noted.

This application seeks to have Recorded Music until 0200hrs on Wednesdays, 0300hrs Friday and Saturdays and 0100hrs on Sundays; Late Night Refreshment from 2300-0130hrs on Wednesdays, 2300-0230hrs Friday and Saturdays and 2300-0030hrs on Sundays; and Sale of Alcohol until 0130hrs on Wednesdays, 0230hrs Friday and Saturdays, and 0030hrs on Sundays. The venue is situated on Wick Road, underneath the bridge of the A12, close to the increasingly busier night time area of Hackney Wick. Historically there have been issues with noise and ASB from patrons from the venue with the major issue being parking of cars when this venue is open later. The cars park over the grass verges and block the road. This has quite a major impact on the local residents, where they are disturbed as cars leave with the noise from patrons, the noise from the cars, whether it be the engines or stereos. The applicant states there is a car park now to the side of the premises. How big is this space as it hasn’t previously been used or has been too small to accommodate all customers which has led to aforementioned issues. The hours requested are far outside those stipulated in LP3 Core hours section of Hackney Councils Licensing policy, and police are concerned that the extended hours, especially on week days have not been mentioned or mitigated in the application.

Representations from the Licensing Authority

The Licensing Authority expressed concerns about the potential for increased noise nuisance due to the proposed extended hours, especially given the venue's proximity to residential properties. Concerns were also raised regarding the limited availability of public transport, the potential for disturbance caused by patrons arriving and leaving by car and the lack of clarity surrounding the planning status of the venue.

331 Wick Road is located close to residential premises and as a result it has been the source of nuisance complaints in the past. The hours being sought further exceed those as set in LP3 (Core Hours) within the Council's Licensing Statement. Nuisance could be further exacerbated due to patron noise at even later hours. The premises is relatively isolated from public transport other than buses. And at night time this appears to be limited to only one night bus (N26). This appears to lead to many of the patrons attending via motor vehicle (private, taxi or minicab). Previous complaints have mainly centred on disturbance as a result of patrons arriving and/or leaving. I am therefore concerned that an increase in the hours of operation could have a negative impact on the promotion of the licensing objectives, in particular, the prevention of public nuisance.

Representations from Residents

Fourteen representations were received from local residents, all objecting to the application. Residents cited concerns regarding public nuisance, particularly noise from music, customers and vehicles, as well as concerns about crime and disorder and public safety, particularly during the late night and early morning hours.

Environmental Health

The Environmental Health Authority initially submitted a representation objecting to the application on the grounds of the prevention of public nuisance, however this representation was later withdrawn. The Environmental Enforcement team did however submit a representation with a number of proposed conditions relating to waste management.

This application was included as a decision item on the meeting agenda. This means that the Sub Committee were scheduled to decide whether to grant the application in full, grant the application in part, or refuse the application.