The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to consider an application to vary the premises licence of Vaalee, a convenience store on Peckham High Street.

Vaalee, 66 Peckham High Street

The application was submitted by Siva Lingham Samy Kannu, the premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor (DPS) of Vaalee. The variation application requested the following changes:

• Extend the opening hours and licensed hours for off-sales only from 08:00 to 23:00 to 08:00 to 03:00, seven days a week.
• Remove the condition preventing the sale of single cans or 300ml bottles of alcohol.
• Remove the condition preventing the sale or display of spirits in quantities of 100ml or less.
• Change the condition preventing the sale of beers or ciders with an ABV higher than 6.5% to allow the sale of such drinks if they are specialist branded, premium priced products.

The report pack included a representation from the Metropolitan Police Service objecting to the application on the grounds that:

• The premises are located within the Peckham cumulative impact area (CIA) where the council's Statement of Licensing Policy recommends a closing time of 00:00 for off-licences.
• The extended hours requested could lead to an increase in alcohol-related crime and disorder, noise pollution and anti-social behaviour.
• The conditions the applicant sought to remove were added to the licence after consultation with responsible authorities.
• The application does not outline sufficient mitigation to address potential problems.

The meeting report included a summary of the application, the representation from the Police and the council’s Statement of Licensing Policy. It also contained advice from council officers on the relevant legal framework for determining the application.