This was a meeting of Camden Council's Licensing Panel C to consider an application for a review of the Premises Licence of Sican 26-28 Whitfield Street. A review was requested by Gary Sollof and 38 local residents on the grounds that the operation of the premises undermines the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, and the prevention of public nuisance. A total of 151 representations were received by the Council.

Sican 26-28 Whitfield Street, London

The report pack for the meeting contained a report by the Council's Executive Director Supporting Communities about the review application for the Premises Licence of Sican 26-28 Whitfield Street. The report summarises the review application made by Mr Sollof and the supporting residents, and the representations made in response. The report sets out the arguments for and against the review.

The application for review argues that Sican:

• Organises irresponsible drinking promotions like Bottomless Brunch, that lead to crime and disorder and public nuisance.
• Closes too late, with the resulting noise and disturbance continuing into the early hours of the morning.
• Doesn't take appropriate action to disperse patrons from the area after closing.
• The licence holder doesn't take the concerns of local residents seriously.

The Licensing Authority's report says:

The Licensing Authority is supporting the review of the premises licence and asking for the application for a review to be granted in its entirety for the following reasons:

The premises has been the source of numerous complaints from several residents to the Licensing Authority.

The Licensing Authority's report says they attempted to engage with the premises holder about the complaints, and that:

As the Licensing Authority continued to receive complaints from residents about the manner in which the premises is being run being a source of disturbance to them, on 8th December 2024 the Licensing Authority and the licensing police carried out a joint visit to the venue during out of hours visit and witnessed firsthand and music being played from the premises and noise from visitors leaving the premises emanating from the venue. This appear to justify residents' general appeals complaining to us about the venue.

The Licensing Authority's report concludes:

For a while the premises appear to be endeavouring to work with the licensing authority in that it did produce dispersal policy and communicated with us regularly, regarding actions they are taking to manage the premises better. However this did not stop the flow of complaints from residents. Hence, when the review was received the Licensing Authority was not surprised.

The Licensing Authority's report goes on to make a number of recommendations in support of the review application, including:

• The reduction of opening hours to the framework hours specified in Camden's Statement of Licensing Policy 2022-2027.
• The removal of Recorded Music as a licensable activity.
• The removal of several existing licence conditions.
• The imposition of 16 new licence conditions.

Several of these recommendations are intended to address the specific problems identified in the review application. For example, the Licensing Authority recommends that a new licence condition be imposed:

There shall be no ‘Bottomless Brunch’ or any other drinks promotion where unlimited alcohol is provided.

The report pack also contains copies of 59 representations in support of the application from:

• Christopher Malone, a Police Licensing Officer in Camden for 21 years. PC Malone's statement details a number of crimes and incidents of anti-social behaviour associated with Sican including two separate reports alleging drink spiking at the premises. PC Malone's statement also documents that in June 2024 Immigration Enforcement officers raided the premises and made five arrests of people who had no right to work in the UK. PC Malone concludes that:

With all the evidence above, the MPs have huge concerns about the management, especially when they are breaking the law and therefore we support the residents review with revocation of the licence.

• Camden Council's Noise and Pollution Team (NPT). The NPT reports that they have received 34 noise complaints since 2022 relating to Sican and its patrons, 31 of which were received in 2024.
• Camden Council's Home Office Immigration Enforcement team. This team's representation supports the review on the grounds that:

The business has employed illegal workers which is prohibited under the Licensing Act 2003 and the Immigration Act 1971 as amended.

• The Charlotte Street Association. The Charlotte Street Association, a residents association based in Fitzrovia, supported the review application and in particular supported the proposal to impose a restaurant style condition on the licence. The Association said that:

From our experience, and unless it is an actual bar or pub, we invariably ask for a restaurant condition in order to prevent premises becoming and/or behaving like a bar with bar type activities.

• 54 local residents and a business. All but one of the residents submitted their representations using Camden Council's online form, ticking boxes to indicate the grounds for their representation, and writing a short paragraph setting out their concerns. The grounds for representation indicated were the prevention of crime and disorder, ensuring public safety and the prevention of public nuisance. A number of the representations mention the “bottomless drinking” promotions at the premises. One of the residents submitted their representation by email saying:

For a while, the premises appear to be endeavoring to work with the licensing authority in that it did produce dispersal policy and communicated with us regularly, regarding actions they are taking to manage the premises better. However, this did not stop the flow of complaints from residents.

The report pack also contains 91 representations against the application for review from members of the general public. The vast majority of these representations were submitted using Camden Council's online form, ticking a box to indicate they are objecting to the application for review, and writing a short paragraph setting out their support for the business. Several of the objections specifically support the continuation of Sican's bottomless brunch. Many of the representations were submitted anonymously. One of the representations, from Seyed Moein Shirazi, who says they live right on top of Sican on 28 Whitfield Street, says:

I’ve never noticed any issues with noise or disturbances, and their staff are professional and attentive. In fact, I feel that Sican’s presence has added a positive element to the neighborhood, offering a welcoming space that many locals appreciate.

One representation, submitted by name and address by John Georgiou, the owner of a nearby restaurant called Tongue and Brisket, says:

As a neighbour, running a business literally around the corner I've never seen or heard any trouble coming from the premises. I hope Sican continues to trade in the area, as I feel they bring something unique and very positive to our community.

Finally, the report pack contains a representation from Hammersmith Estates Limited, the landlord of the premises. This representation says that they are:

aware of the review and investigating the concerns raised.

It is important to note that these documents were prepared in advance of the Licensing Panel meeting. They do not tell us anything about what was actually discussed, or what if any decisions were made at the meeting.