Content

RESOLVED:
 
Application for a
Premises Licence – Basement, 201-203 Hackney Road, London E2
8JL - APPROVAL
 
The decision of 1st October 2025
 
The Licensing Sub-Committee, in considering
this decision from the information presented to them within the
report and at the hearing and having regard to the promotion of the
licensing objectives:
 
· 
The prevention of crime and disorder
· 
Public safety
· 
Prevention of public nuisance
· 
The protection of children from harm
 
The application for a premises licence has
been approved in accordance with the Council’s Statement of
Licensing and the proposed conditions set out in paragraph 8.1 of
the report.
 
· 
The hours of licensable activity
 
 
Late Night
Refreshment
 
Friday - Saturday  23:00 - 00:00
 
Supply of Alcohol
(On the Premises)
 
Monday - Thursday 11:00 - 23:00
Friday - Saturday  11:00 - 00:00
Sunday 
10:00 - 22:30
 
Opening hours
 
Monday - Thursday 10:00 - 23:30
Friday - Saturday  10:00 - 00:30
Sunday 
10:00 - 23:00
 
· 
?Remove regulated entertainment and recorded music.
· 
The following condition will be amended and read as follows:
 
?"No more than 6 individuals will be allowed
in the smoking area?"
 
And the following conditions will be added to
the premises licence:
 
1. 
The premises shall maintain a comprehensive CCTV system as per the
minimum 
requirements of a Metropolitan Police Crime Prevention
Officer. All public areas, entry  and exit points will be covered enabling
frontal identification of every person entering in  any light condition. The CCTV system shall
continually record whilst the premises is  open for licensable
activities and during all times when customers remain on
the  premises. All recordings shall be
stored for a minimum period of 31 days with date and  time stamping.
Recordings shall be made available with minimal delay upon the
request  of
Police or authorised officer.
2. 
A staff member from the premises who is conversant with the
operation of the CCTV  system shall be on the premises at all
times when the premises are open to the public.  This staff member shall be able to show Police or
an authorised officer of Hackney  Borough Council recent data or footage with
the absolute minimum of delay when 
requested.
3. 
An incident log shall be kept at the premises, and made available
immediately to an 
authorised officer of the Hackney Borough Council or the
Police, which will record the 
following:
all crimes reported to the
venue
any complaints received
any incidents of disorder
any faults in the CCTV
system
any refusal of the sale of
alcohol
any visit by a relevant
authority or emergency service.
4. 
Notices will be displayed at the entrance of the premises, and in
prominent positions 
throughout the premises, advising that CCTV is in
operations.
5. 
Where the sale or supply of alcohol is taking place employees of
the premises must 
request sight of evidence of the age of any person appearing
to be under 25 years of age  (Challenge
25). Such evidence may include a driving licence or passport.
6. 
The premises will display and maintain appropriate signage advising
customers of the 
contact details of the Designated Premises Supervisor.
7. 
All staff will be given refresher training every six months on the
legislation relating to the  sales of alcohol to underage persons and
drunken persons. Written records of this  training shall be
kept on the premises and produced to police or other authorised
officer  upon request.
8. 
No super-strength beer, lagers, ciders or spirit mixtures of 6.5%
ABV (alcohol by volume) or above shall be sold at the premises,
except for premium beers and ciders supplied in glass bottles and
cans.
9. 
Clear and prominent notices shall be displayed and maintained at
all exits in a place  where they can be seen and easily read by
customers, requiring customers to leave the premises and the area
quietly.
10.All tills shall automatically
prompt staff to ask for age verification identification
when 
presented with an alcoholic sale item.
11.The maximum number of guests
allowed with a member is 3.  The guests
will also be required to show appropriate ID upon entry with the
member.
12.Entry to the premises will be
controlled by a door entry system with  CCTV
coverage.
13.No persons will be allowed to
take 
alcoholic drinks outside the premises or into the smoking
area.
 
Environmental
Enforcement Conditions:
 
1. 
The Licensee shall ensure that all staff are fully trained and made
aware of the legal 
requirement of businesses to comply with their
responsibility as regards the disposal of  waste produced from the business premises. The
procedure for handling and preparing  for disposal
of the waste shall be in writing and displayed in a prominent place
where it  can be referred to at all
times by staff.
2. 
The Licensee shall ensure that any contract for general and
recyclable waste disposal  shall be appropriate in size to the amount
of waste produced by the business. The  Licensee shall
maintain an adequate supply of waste 
receptacles provided by his 
registered waste carrier (refuse sacks or commercial waste bins) in
order to ensure all  refuse emanating
from the business is always presented for collection by his
waste  carrier and shall not use any
plain black or unidentifiable refuse sacks or any other  unidentifiable or unmarked waste receptacles.
3. 
The Licensee’s premises are situated in an area within which
refuse may only be left on  the public highway at certain times (time
bands). If the Licensee’s waste carrier cannot  or does not
comply by collecting the refuse within an hour after the close of
any time  band imposed by the waste
authority, the Licensee must remove the refuse from the  public highway and/or keep it within the premises
until such time as his/her waste 
carrier arrives to collect the refuse.
4. 
The Licensee shall instruct members of staff to make regular checks
of the area 
immediately outside the premises and remove any litter,
bottles and glasses emanating  from the
premises. A final check should be made at close of business.
5. 
The Licensee shall provide a safe receptacle for cigarette ends to
be placed outside for  the use of customers, such receptacle being
carefully placed so as not to cause an 
obstruction or trip.
6. 
The current trade waste agreement/duty of care waste transfer
document shall be 
conspicuously displayed and maintained where it  can be conveniently seen and read by persons
standing in 201-203 Hackney  Road,
London E2 8JL. This should remain unobstructed at all times
and  should
clearly identify:-
 
- the name of the registered waste carrier
- the date of  commencement of trade waste contract
- the date of expiry of trade waste
contract
- the  days and times of collection
- the type of waste including the European
Waste Code
 
Conditions added by
the Licensing Sub-Committee:
 
· 
The premises shall at all times operate as a snooker club.
 
· 
A qualified Acoustic Consultant, who is a member of the Institute
of Acoustics (loA) or other similar
professional body, should be appointed by the applicant to
undertake a full acoustic survey of the site, before the
commencement of regulated entertainment, to determine the maximum
music noise levels and noise levels from patrons. These levels
should be such as not to cause a noise nuisance in the nearest
noise sensitive premises during the provision of regulated
entertainment. The acoustic survey should be followed by a
comprehensive acoustic report outlining the survey's methodology,
established music noise levels, all nearest noise sensitive
premises and all recommended noise mitigation measures to be
implemented when regulated entertainment is taking place. The
acoustic report should be submitted to the Local Authority’s
Environmental Protection Service. All the recommendations within
the report must be implemented prior to the regulated entertainment
taking place.
 
Reasons for the
decision
 
The application for a premises licence has
been approved as members of the Licensing Sub-Committee were
satisfied that the licensing objectives would not be
undermined. 
 
The Sub-Committee took into account that the
Police and Environmental Enforcement agreed conditions with the
Applicant and withdrew their representations before the
hearing.
 
The Sub-Committee took into account that the
Licensing Authority maintained their objection and 8
representations were made from Other Persons (local residents)
objecting to the application.
 
The Sub-Committee took into consideration the
Applicant’s representations made by their representative that
they were operating within Class E which was the lawful planning
use for the premises.
 
The Sub-Committee heard that the Applicant is
a personal licence holder, and has a great deal of experience at
other premises in Hackney and Islington.
 
The Sub-Committee took into consideration the
Applicant’s representations 
that the premises will require membership to be paid for one year.
The Applicant will monitor the use by each member and take any
action if they fail to comply with the conditions of membership.
The Sub-Committee noted all members of the snooker club will be
registered and they will have ID.
 
The Sub-Committee took into consideration the
Applicant’s representations  that one of the conditions of the
membership is that a member can bring up to 3 guests to the
premises at any one time. If there is any breach of the membership,
they will give a warning before removing the membership from the
member. The Applicant’s representative contended that there
were a number of CCTV cameras around the premises that cover all of
the areas outside. This would ensure safety of members and local
residents.
 
The Sub-Committee heard representations from
the Applicant’s representative that private events will be
risk assessed. The Applicant made representations that the premises
is a snooker club and not a nightclub. It was noted that the
Applicant’s other business, a shop above the snooker club
does make a good contribution to the area.
The Sub-Committee took into consideration the
local residents' representations that there was no consultation
with local residents for extending the use of the outdoor area. The
local residents were concerned that the late night hours will have
a negative impact on the area. The Sub-Committee noted that the
local residents felt that the Applicant had not demonstrated that
they would not add to the cumulative impact in the area and there
were no mitigating circumstances as to why they needed to operate a
snooker premises until 03:00.
 
The Sub-Committee took into account the
representations from local  residents that they would be affected by
the noise late at night, and there was a safety risk with members
dispersing late at night. The Sub-Committee noted local residents
were concerned that there were no sound limiters at the premises,
and that 70 people would be dispersing from the premises late at
night.
 
The Sub-Committee noted that the local
residents after hearing from the Applicant still maintained their
objections because they had concerns about noise, safety and
dispersal from the premises.
 
The Sub-Committee heard representations from
the Licensing Authority that they welcomed some of the concessions
made by the Applicant. However they
still have concerns about the impact on the area, and the hours of
the premises.
 
The Sub-Committee after considering the
representations from the parties decided to grant the premises
licence with core hours because it is in a residential area. The
Sub-Committee took into account that the Applicant made concessions
to overcome and mitigate the concerns about the premises including
the removal of regulated entertainment and recorded music from the
application.
 
The Sub-Committee had concerns for the
well-being and safety of local residents in the area and concerns
about public safety for women and neighbours. They were concerned
about incidents in the area. The Sub-Committee felt that any
snooker cues must be kept under a lock and key to ensure public
safety.
 
The Sub-Committee felt that the premises need
to demonstrate that they will not have a negative impact on the
residential area. Although the Applicant is an experienced operator
with other premises, they had concerns about how the premises would
be operated late at night in a residential area. Therefore, they
were only prepared to grant this application with reduced
hours.
 
The Sub-Committee took into account that the
Applicant agreed to join the Hackney Nights to provide Ask Angela
and WAVE training and other training to staff to help the premises
operate responsibly.
 
Having taken all of the above factors into
consideration the Sub-Committee was satisfied that by granting the
premises licence the licensing objectives would not be
undermined.
 
Public
Informative
 
1. 
Any snooker cues must be kept under lock and key.
2. 
The Premises Licence Holder is advised to undertake staff training
including: Ask For Angela, WAVE training
and other training to ensure that the premises operate safely and
responsibly.
3. 
The Premises Licence Holder is further reminded of the need to
operate the premises according to any current planning permission
relating to its use class, conditions and to regularise the hours
as required.
4. 
It also should be noted for the public record that the Local
Planning Authority should draw no inference or be bound by this
decision with regard to any future planning application which may
be made.
5. 
The Premises Licence Holder is encouraged to engage in dialogue
with the local residents to resolve any issues relating to noise
emanating from the premises.
6. 
The Premises Licence Holder is strongly encouraged to use
sustainable cutlery, plates, cups, food containers, and recyclable
disposable materials to avoid using single-use plastic disposable
items.
 
 
6.1  The Licensing Sub-Committee
heard from Hackney Council’s Principal
Licensing Officer. 
This was an application for a premises licence for regulated
entertainment, late night refreshment and to authorise supply of
alcohol for consumption on the premises. The Police and
Environmental Enforcement had withdrawn representations based on
agreed conditions.
 
6.2  During the course of
the meeting there was a discussion where a number of points were
raised which included the following:
 
· 
An additional submission was received and circulated to Councillors
from the Applicant. This included the noise assessment report,
pictures, and conditions agreed with the Police and Environmental
Enforcement.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted the Applicant was an experienced
licenceholder and nightclub operator in
the borough and neighbouring boroughs and was the licence holder
for the ground floor premises at this application address.
· 
The proposed hours for regulated entertainment were based on
pre-booking for customers.
· 
The Applicant Agent indicated that all customers were required to
be members or guests of members, to a maximum of 3.
· 
Membership was an annual subscription of £15.
· 
The Applicant noted a number of conditions had been agreed with the
police and Environmental Enforcement which included CCTV, incident
log, and risk assessment for door supervisors. The Applicant
adopted the Challenge 25 policy.
· 
The Applicant Agent suggested the noise impact assessment indicated
there was no noise leakage from the premises
· 
The Applicant Agent indicated that in response to representations
from Other Persons the Applicant had addressed concerns raised
through control measures agreed with the police and Environmental
Enforcement.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted there were robust conditions agreed to
enable the Applicant to engage with residents if any issues arose
as a result of the operation of the premises.
· 
The Licensing Authority representation welcomed the conditions
agreed by the Applicant with the Police and Environmental
Enforcement.
· 
The Licensing Authority considered the hours proposed were too far
in excess of LP3 core hours, to promote the licensing
objectives.
· 
The Licensing Authority noted they had not received any
feedbank from the Applicant regarding
last entry time proposals.
· 
Photo identification was used to verify the identity of membership
applicants. Individual Members were allowed up to 3 guests for an
initial visit, after which guests had to apply for membership.
· 
Members were given an initial warning if they had broken rules set
out in the members' guidance. Any further breach resulted in
membership being removed.
· 
In response to clarification sought regarding private clubs the
Licensing Authority noted the commercial nature of the premises was
outside that of a private club certification.
· 
Other Persons noted there had been no clear communication or
engagement with residents.
· 
Other Persons suggested the extension of late night activity at the
premises with no outdoor space for customers led to potential
groups congregating outside the venue and outside residential
properties. This raised security concerns, risked confrontation
between residents and customers at the premises, and increased the
potential for disorder and anti-social behaviour.
· 
Other Persons suggested that proposed hours were not in-keeping
with other local licensed venues and the application lacked
appropriate mitigation measures.
· 
Concern was expressed regarding queueing, smoking, and that no
sound tests had been undertaken in residential premises.
· 
Concern was expressed that the premises were to be operated as a
nightclub and annual membership of £15 was insufficient to
control the numbers of customers at the premises.
· 
Other Persons suggested the venue was being advertised as a sports
viewing venue.
 
The Principal Licensing Officer shared the
Google Streetview of the premises.
 
· 
Other Persons noted that smoke, from customers at the venue, had
entered residential property through open windows.
· 
Other Persons highlighted concerns about safety, nuisance and
impact on the local community.
· 
The proposed licensed hours were considered to be excessive and
there was the potential for this venue to become a hotspot for late
night drinking in the area, after other venues had closed.
· 
It was noted that ashtrays outside the venue encouraged customers
to congregate in that area.
· 
The Applicant Agent indicated that the ashtrays' location was in
accordance with the local authority’s instructions. It was
suggested that there were safety considerations as the gas meters
for the building were located at the entrance.
· 
Other Persons noted there was no outdoor smoking area and customers
congregated on the pavement.
· 
Other Persons raised concerns about the noise test which was done
during day time and tests had not been done in residential
premises.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted there were two television screens to
watch sports.
· 
Capacity as set out in the fire risk assessment of the venue was 70
people and the written dispersal plan was to be shared with the
local authority.
· 
There was no sound limiter at the premises.
· 
Concern was expressed by the Sub-Committee regarding noise,
smokers, and dispersal given the proposed hours.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted that smokers outside the venue were
limited to 10% of capacity.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted there was a written dispersal policy that
was to be circulated to the local authority.
· 
It was highlighted that there were CCTV cameras outside the venue,
to give residents reassurance, and was available for the police and
local authority to review on request.
· 
In terms of mitigations the Applicant Agent indicated the Applicant
had experience from operating other premises in the area.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted in mitigations to potential violence
against women and girls (VAWG) that ‘Ask Angela’ and
Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training was to be
introduced at the venue .
· 
The Applicant Agent highlighted that customers were escorted to the
smoking area.
· 
Telephone contact details for the operator were to be displayed by
the operator so they can be contacted if there were any issues that
arose at the venue.
· 
In response to the Chair’s concerns about the range of
activities proposed which included private events and regulated
entertainment the Applicant Agent noted that there was not a
specified number of private events outlined in the business plan,
however, the Applicant anticipated utilising up to 15 Temporary
Event Notices (TENs) per year.
· 
If there was a private event the snooker tables had to be removed
offsite.
· 
In response to concerns from the Chair that a noise limiter was
required the Applicant Agent highlighted that the premises had been
assessed by an acoustic company.
· 
In response to the Licensing Authority highlighting concerns about
how private events were to be operated given the Applicant had
agreed conditions for member and guest entry, the Applicant Agent
indicated that the Applicant proposed to utilise the TENS
procedure.
 
There was a comfort break at 15.15 and the
meeting resumed at 15.22.
 
· 
The Applicant Agent proposed reduced hours for the sale of alcohol
(Sunday - Thursday 09:00-00:00, Friday - Saturday 09:00 -01:00).
All other proposed licenseable
activities remained, as set out in the application.
· 
The Licensing Authority noted that the smoking area should ideally
be in front of the premises to enable the operator to better manage
customers who smoked.
· 
The Applicant offered to reduce the number of smokers from 8 to 6
customers.
· 
The Licensing Authority suggested that the provision for recorded
music and regulated entertainment was not required to be on the
licence as the Applicant proposed to use TENs for such events.
· 
The Applicant Agent proposed the removal of regulated entertainment
and recorded music from the application.
· 
Other Persons welcomed the end time agreed for alcohol sales,
however, concern was expressed that alcohol sales start at 9.00am
and venue closing times remained the same.
· 
Other Persons indicated that issues related to dispersal remained
and there were concerns about alcohol being brought onto the
premises.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted that no alcohol was allowed to be brought
into, or taken away from, the premises.
· 
Other Persons noted concerns that the Applicant had not provided
adequate reassurance regarding residents
personal safety.
· 
The Applicant Agent agreed to undertake WAVE training and any other
schemes in the local area, in addition to ‘Ask Angela’.
The front of the premises had CCTV coverage which provided
reassurance in the event of any incident which occurred.
· 
The Applicant Agent proposed a start time for alcohol sales of
11.00am daily.
· 
Other Persons expressed concern about the robustness of the
acoustic assessment report. The applicant agreed to the
installation of a noise limiter.
· 
The Applicant Agent, whilst noting that opening hours were not
licensable, proposed opening at 10.00am each day to alleviate
concerns.
· 
The Applicant proposed premises closure at midnight on Sunday.
· 
Other Persons noted that objections remained related to the
proposed closing times.
· 
It was noted that the venue had the opportunity to apply for up to
15 TENs per year under current legislation. The Principal Licensing
Officer outlined the process for TENs applications noting that the
public were not consulted as part of the process.
 
6.3  In closing remarks
the following was noted:
 
· 
Other Persons noted the importance of a sound limiter to be
installed to mitigate the potential for noise disturbance.
· 
The movement on proposed hours was appreciated by Other Persons,
however, noise issues and concern about dispersal remained.
· 
The Applicant Agent noted the proposed concessions demonstrated the
Applicant’s willingness to work with the local authority and
residents.
· 
The Applicant Agent refuted concerns about the validity of the
acoustic report.
· 
The Applicant confirmed that cue sticks were locked in an office
when not in use.
· 
The Licensing Authority welcomed the concessions offered.
· 
The Licensing Authority considered that, if Members were minded to
grant the application, it should be for core hours due to the
concerns raised regarding cumulative impact and the prevention of
public nuisance.
· 
The Licensing Authority noted that the Applicant had the
opportunity, after establishing a positive track record, to apply
for a variation to the licence.
· 
The Licensing Authority sought, if the Sub-Committee were minded to
approve the application, closer alignment between the licensable
activity and the closing time of the venue.