The Licensing Sub-Committee of Ealing Council was scheduled to consider an application to review the premises licence for Lady Margaret Superstore. The meeting's agenda also included procedural guidance.

Review Application for Lady Margaret Superstore

The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application to review the premises licence for Lady Margaret Superstore, located at 480 Lady Margaret Road, London, UB1 2NW. The Ealing Council Licensing Enforcement and Compliance team applied for this review.

The report pack indicated that the committee was asked to consider the application to review the premises licence, along with any representations made and the Statement of Licensing Policy. The potential outcomes for the licence, as outlined in the report, included:

• Modifying the conditions of the licence (including altering or omitting an existing condition or adding a new condition).
• Excluding a licensable activity from the licence.
• Suspending the licence for a period not exceeding three months.
• Revoking the licence.
• Leaving the licence as it is.

The application for review was made by the Ealing Council Licensing Enforcement and Compliance team, citing grounds related to the Prevention of Crime & Disorder licensing objective. Evidence presented in the report pack detailed a joint compliance visit on Saturday, 31 May 2025, by Licensing Officers and Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers. During this visit, officers reportedly found 50 non-compliant vapes and noted that beers with an Alcohol by Volume (ABV) ranging from 5% to 9% were not price-marked, which was stated as a breach of condition 29 of the premises licence. This condition had been imposed following a review hearing on 21 September 2010.

The report also highlighted concerns about the employment of illegal workers, stating that this allows a business to unfairly undercut other businesses by employing cheap labour and exploits the undocumented by paying them less than the minimum wage. Furthermore, the trade in illicit non-compliant goods was mentioned as damaging funding for public services and undermining legitimate traders.

The report pack included a statement from Robert Dear, a Licensing Compliance & Enforcement Officer, detailing incidents on 31 May 2025 and a subsequent visit on 5 December 2025. During the December visit, further non-compliant vapes were reportedly found, and beers in the alcohol fridge were again noted as not being price-marked. The report also referenced a previous visit on 25 June 2019, where illicit cigarettes were found and beers were not price-marked.

The report outlined the council's Licensing Policy regarding core hours for licensable activities, which vary depending on the area and type of activity (on- or off-sales of alcohol, or late-night refreshment). It also detailed the legal implications under the Licensing Act 2003, which requires licensing authorities to promote four licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, and protection of children from harm. The report also drew attention to the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998, particularly Article 6 (right to a fair trial), Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life), and Article 1 of the First Protocol (protection of property).

The report pack also contained proposed conditions to be added to the premises licence, including requirements for at least one personal licence holder to be on duty when alcohol is sold, the operation of a Challenge 25 policy, the maintenance of a refusals book, regular staff training, and specific rules regarding the storage and purchase of alcohol.

Panel Procedure Guidance Note

The committee was also scheduled to consider a Panel Procedure Guidance Note, which would have outlined the procedures to be followed during the hearing. This guidance typically covers aspects such as the role of the Chair, representation for parties, the order of proceedings, and how decisions are made and communicated.