The Licensing Sub-Committee met to decide on an application for a new off-licence at 5 Market Parade, 323 Forest Road in Walthamstow. The applicant, Mr Keith Joseph, sought permission for the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises, and for the shop to be open to the public between 8am and midnight every day. After hearing from the applicant, and considering representations made by residents, the Sub-Committee agreed to grant the licence with conditions and amended hours.

Grant of a premises licence: The Drink Factory, 5 Market Parade, 323 Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 6DY

The Sub-Committee considered an application for a new off-licence from The Drink Factory Ltd at 5 Market Parade, 323 Forest Road in Walthamstow.

The applicant, Mr Keith Joseph, sought permission for the shop to be open from 8am to midnight every day, and to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises during those hours.

Two residents wrote to the Council to object to the application.

Ms Madolyn Grove of Higham Hill Road wrote to say:

This is an outrageous application for a quiet residential street. Noise, violence and drunken behaviour is already a problem in this area due to the pub across the road, which closes at 11pm.

She went on to express her concern that late night deliveries would worsen existing issues with noise and unsafe driving on Luton Road.

Mr Will van Wyngaarden of Luton Road also wrote to object to the application.

He said:

It is incredibly disappointing to see this application. This will impact the neighbourhood negatively, exacerbating the issues we have already going on. The Palmerston Arms already attracts a number of people who act antisocially.

The Metropolitan Police and the Council's Licensing Team also initially submitted representations based on the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.

Both the Metropolitan Police and the Licensing Team withdrew their representations after Mr Joseph agreed to amend his application to address their concerns. In particular, he agreed to:

• split the licence into two, to cover both online sales of alcohol and the direct sale of alcohol from the premises
• limit direct sales of alcohol from the premises to between 8am and midnight every day
• limit online sales of alcohol for delivery between 8am and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays
• implement a number of conditions on the licence related to CCTV, deliveries, the management of staff and the prevention of crime and disorder

In his evidence to the Sub-Committee, Mr Joseph said that he would encourage delivery drivers to use e-bikes, and that in future he hoped to employ his own delivery drivers and ask them to wait inside the premises whilst orders are prepared. He also told the Sub-Committee:

one of the reasons for the late-night deliveries was to stop people drink drinking to purchase alcohol and with his business model they can now purchase alcohol online instead.

The Sub-Committee decided to grant Mr Joseph's application with the amendments and conditions he had agreed with the Police and Licensing Team.

In their decision, the Sub-Committee said:

The Sub-Committee were of the view that the Applicant has shown that they are capable to run a business responsibly.

They also noted that:

The Other Persons didn’t attend the hearing. The Sub-Committee were mindful of the representations made by the Other Persons in the agenda pack and considered their reasons for objecting to the application. However, The Sub-Committee was satisfied that by granting the application with the reduced hours and conditions proposed by the Police and Licensing this would promote the licensing objectives.