This meeting was scheduled to discuss two licensing applications. One was for a new premises licence for a Tesco at 349 - 351 Norwood Road and the other was for a variation of an existing premises licence for No 32 The Old Town. It is important to note that these were only the topics scheduled for discussion. We do not know what was actually discussed, or what decisions were made.

Tesco - 349 - 351 Norwood Road London SE27 9BQ

Tesco Stores Limited applied for a new premises licence to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises from 6am to midnight each day and to provide late-night refreshment from 11pm to midnight each day.

A representation was received from the Licensing Authority. They noted that this location is classified as a Local Shopping Parade¹ in the Council’s Licensing Policy and that the policy recommends off-licences in Local Shopping Parades open no earlier than 11am and close no later than 11pm.

The Licensing Authority’s representation also raised concerns about the application's impact on the four licensing objectives, and particularly highlighted the risk of public nuisance. They suggested that the application be refused.

Norwood Town Centre is a bustling area with a high footfall of patrons throughout the day and into the early hours of the morning. There are existing concerns regarding the number of street drinkers, rough sleepers, anti-social behaviour (ASB), and reported crimes within this area. Premises that sell alcohol for consumption off the premises have the potential to attract street drinkers, be associated with anti-social behaviour, and are more likely to be targeted by underage drinkers. Applicants are expected to demonstrate how these risks would be mitigated.

The Licensing Authority suggested a number of conditions that could be added to the licence if the application were to be approved. These included CCTV, staff training, an incident log, minimum pricing, a Challenge 25 policy and a ban on selling single miniature bottles of spirits or white cider in bottles larger than 750ml.

No 32 The Old Town, 32 The Pavement, Clapham, London, SW4 0JE

Darwin & Wallace Ltd applied to vary the existing premises licence for No 32 The Old Town to remove the seasonal restrictions on the hours during which the first floor front terrace could be used for the sale of alcohol.

The existing licence allows use of the terrace from 9am to 10:30pm from 1 March to 31 October, and from 9am to 6pm from 1 November to 29 February. The application was amended during the application process, and the applicant ultimately requested that the terrace be allowed to be used from 9am to 10:30pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 10pm on Sundays, Bank Holidays and Public Holidays from 1 November to 29 February.

A representation was received from Councillor Linda Bray, objecting to the application on the grounds of preventing public nuisance. She said:

Although the premises has operated as a restaurant/bar for some years fairly successfully – although not without encountering objections over recent years from local residents on the grounds of noise and anti-social behaviour because outside areas were not managed properly, the licence as sought with hours until 23.00 will cause public nuisance.

Three representations were also received from local residents. One said:

This highly successful venue has proved problematic for its neighbours.

They also said that they were concerned about crime and disorder, public safety and public nuisance if the licence were to be varied as requested, and requested that the application be rejected.