This meeting was scheduled to consider applications for a new off licence and for a review of a licence following a summary review being conducted by the Metropolitan Police.

Review of Licence for Blue Garden

The most significant item on the agenda was the review of a licence for Blue Garden, 74 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1AA. This followed a summary review being conducted by the Metropolitan Police on the 5th of November 2024, which resulted in the interim suspension of the licence pending the outcome of a full review. The Police stated that they requested the review because:

the owner/manager assaulted a worker over a dispute over pay. Investigation states the owner/manager has potentially informally employed the worker illegally by keeping their documents and underpaying their wages. The worker stated he was homeless and has been sleeping at the premises, so potentially modern-day slavery offences taking place.

The Police also noted that the owner/manager, Mr Ali Awada, also owns another venue in Camden and they:

do not have faith that the owner/manager can uphold the licensing objectives.

The Licensing Authority also made a representation in support of the review application, stating that they have had several negative interactions with the management of Blue Garden. These included a refusal to allow access to CCTV footage despite this being a condition of the licence. The Licensing Authority also included a summary of several visits to the premises undertaken by both Council Officers and the Police that suggested there had been multiple breaches of the licence conditions. They stated that:

Given that we both police and licensing officers, who duly identified themselves by way of their ID and their authorisation were on more than one occasion denied access to the CCTV footage, were spoken to very rudely, unfairly and without any just cause, accused of racism and the premise for this review, we would ask that the premises licence is revoked in its entirety.

Application for New Licence for Fleet News

The agenda also included an application for a new off licence for Fleet News, 90 Fleet Road, London, NW3 2QX. The shop proposed to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises between 08:00 and 23:00 every day. One representation was received objecting to the application from The Heath and Hampstead Society. The applicant subsequently offered to reduce the hours on Fridays and Saturdays to 22:00. The report notes that none of the responsible authorities, including the Metropolitan Police, objected to the application.