The Licensing Sub-Committee D of Islington Council met on 05 December 2024 and approved two new premises licences, one for the sale of alcohol off the premises for Cinnamon Village Whole Foods, 158 Blackstock Road, and the other for the sale of alcohol on and off the premises at Proper Tacos, Unit 30/30a, Nags Head Market, 22 Seven Sisters Road.

Cinnamon Village Whole Foods, 158 Blackstock Road

The application from Cinnamon Village Whole Foods was for the sale of alcohol off the premises, Monday to Sunday 09:00 to 23:00, and was granted despite the receipt of 12 representations from local residents and a petition with over 100 signatures objecting to it. The objectors were mainly concerned about the potential for anti-social behaviour and the effect on other local businesses, but none of them attended the meeting. The applicant, who stated that they had been running other businesses in the area successfully for several years and were well known in the community, argued that they would stock quality, unique products including Asian, vegan and locally supplied craft beers, wine and other products that the differentiated from the standard market offering. The Sub-Committee were satisfied that there would be no adverse impact on the licensing objectives, and granted the application, with a number of conditions applied to the licence including a requirement to display notices asking customers to leave quietly and not to drink in the street.

Proper Tacos, Unit 30/30a, Nags Head Market

Proper Tacos applied for a new premises licence for the sale of alcohol on and off the premises from Monday to Sunday. They sought to sell alcohol until 20:00 on Mondays, 21:00 Tuesdays to Thursdays, 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and 17:00 on Sundays. This application was also granted, despite one objection from a local resident and despite the site being within the Holloway and Finsbury Park Cumulative Impact Area.¹ The Sub-Committee noted in their decision that, Licensing Policy 3 ... states that there is a presumption of refusal unless the Sub-Committee is satisfied that there will be no adverse cumulative impact on the licensing objectives. The resident was concerned about the potential for an increase in crime, disorder and public nuisance, but the Sub-Committee concluded that these concerns were unfounded, because the business was food-focused and alcohol was only to be sold ancillary to the purchase of food. Councillor Ibrahim noted that they were a ward councillor for the application site, but did not declare an interest in the application. The Sub-Committee were satisfied by the applicant's evidence that there would be no adverse cumulative impact as a result of the granting of the licence, and that this case fell within the exceptions to the cumulative impact policy. The application was granted with a number of conditions including the requirement for CCTV, a Challenge 25 policy², an incident log, and the stipulation that alcohol shall only be served ... as an ancillary to a food order.