The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to convene to consider a request to vary a premises licence, and to determine the procedure for licensing hearings. Councillor Saira Y. Jamil, Councillor Muhammed Javed and Councillor Jamal Uddin were the confirmed attendees for the meeting.

Eastwood Off-Licence, Goodmayes

The sub-committee was scheduled to consider an application from Rajwinder Kaur, the premises licence holder for Eastwood Off-Licence, 821 High Road, Goodmayes, IG3 8TD, to vary their premises licence.

The proposed variation included extending the hours for the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises, and the opening hours of the premises to 06:30 until 04:30 the following day, seven days a week. The current licence permits the supply of alcohol off sale only, from Monday to Saturday between 08:00 and 23:00, and on Sundays between 10:00 and 22:30.

The application also requested the removal of three conditions from the licence:

• No beers, lagers and ciders above 6.5% ABV¹ shall be sold or offered for sale at the premises.
• Single cans of beers, lagers and ciders shall not be sold at the premises at any time.
• No spirits shall be sold at the premises in bottles of 35cl (centilitres) or less.

According to the report pack, representations regarding the application had been received from three responsible authorities: the Metropolitan Police Licensing Team, the Council's Licensing Enforcement Team, and the Community Protection Task Force (CPTF). The representations raised concerns that granting the variation could undermine the licensing objectives² of the prevention of crime and disorder, the prevention of public nuisance and public safety.

PC Dean Birch, Police Licensing Officer, stated that the police objected to the application on the grounds of the prevention of crime and disorder, prevention of public nuisance and public safety. PC Birch noted that the applicant was granted a new premises licence approximately 15 months prior, after agreeing to operate within the framework hours[^4]. PC Birch stated:

With the extension of hours and to operate outside of the Framework hours, the Redbridge Statement of Licensing Policy states that applicants are made to provide licensable activities outside Framework Hours, the applicant will be expected to volunteer particularly robust conditions in their Operating Schedule in respect of the prevention of crime and disorder and the prevention of public nuisance objectives . The applicant has done the opposite to what the policy states and is applying to remove conditions. In this case making the operating schedule less robust.

Mohammed Serdouk, Licensing Enforcement Officer, also objected to the application, raising concerns about the potential impact of the variations on the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, and the prevention of public nuisance. Mr Serdouk highlighted a previous formal warning notice issued to the premises on 11 November 2024 for breaches of existing licence conditions, including selling alcohol above the permitted ABV, selling single cans of alcohol, and selling spirits in bottles smaller than 35cl.

April Smart, Senior Noise Nuisance Officer, representing the Community Protection Team, raised concerns about the potential for increased anti-social behaviour and disturbance to residents due to the extended hours and the removal of restrictions on alcohol sales.

The sub-committee was asked to consider the application, the report, any statutory guidance, the council's licensing policy, and all written and oral evidence presented, before deciding whether to:

• Grant the application in full
• Grant the application with modifications to the licence conditions
• Grant the application in part only, with modifications to the licence conditions
• Reject the application in full

Procedure for Licensing Hearings

The sub-committee was scheduled to determine the procedure for licensing hearings. The chair of the sub-committee was expected to explain the procedure to be adopted at the hearing. An officer of the Licensing Authority was scheduled to present a short factual summary of the application. The sub committee was then scheduled to consider evidence from the applicant, responsible authorities, and any witnesses. Each party would have the opportunity to question the others and sum up their case. The sub-committee would then decide the matter in private, and official notice of the decision would be sent to all parties within 5 working days.