The Licensing Sub-Committee (2) of Westminster City Council met on Thursday 19 February 2026 to consider two applications. The first was a variation to a premises licence for 3 and 4 Kingly Street, and the second was a review of the premises licence for The Globe on Marylebone Road. Decisions on both applications were deferred.

Variation of Premises Licence for 3 and 4 Kingly Street

The committee considered an application to vary the premises licence for 3 and 4 Kingly Street, London, W1B 5PD, which is located within the West End Cumulative Impact Area. The applicant, Fireworks Soho Ltd, sought to extend the operating hours for all licensable activities from Monday to Sunday.

Representations were received from the Licensing Authority, Environmental Health, the Metropolitan Police Service, and the Zomo Society. The applicant argued that extending the hours would allow them to retain existing customers, reducing the number of people circulating in the cumulative impact zone after midnight. They presented survey data suggesting that 90% of their customers would go to another venue if their current premises closed at midnight, and that 85% would go home if the premises remained open until 1 am. The applicant also highlighted the premises' long history of operation without any licensing issues and proposed a dispersal plan and additional SIA conditions.

However, the Licensing Authority and the Metropolitan Police Service maintained their objections, citing the presumption to refuse applications within the cumulative impact zone. They argued that the applicant had not demonstrated exceptional circumstances to overcome this presumption. The police presented data showing high incident rates in the area, particularly during late-night hours, and expressed concern that extending hours would increase the strain on police resources and public safety. Environmental Health also raised concerns about potential increases in noise and disorder.

Councillor Melvyn Caplan questioned whether competition warranted an exceptional circumstance, to which the Licensing Authority responded that while it could be a consideration, it was not an exception in itself. The applicant's representative suggested that extending hours would help them compete with neighbouring venues like Cahoots and Starman, which have later licences.

The committee did not announce a decision on this application at the meeting, stating that members would retire to make their decision and a summary would be sent within five working days.

Review of Premises Licence for The Globe, Marylebone Road

The committee also considered an application for a review of the premises licence for The Globe, 43-47 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JY. The review was brought by Mr. Michael Zaloff on the grounds of the subvention of public nuisance.

Mr. Zaloff, a resident living above the premises, argued that the pub's current operating hours, which extend to 12:30 am, lead to noise nuisance from patrons congregating outside after closing. He stated that he had experienced disturbances for many years and that recent attempts to cooperate with the pub management had broken down. Mr. Zaloff requested that the pub's closing time be brought forward to 11 pm, allowing patrons to vacate the area by midnight. He presented photographs he had taken of people congregating outside the premises after midnight.

The premises licence holder, Greenfield Pubs, represented by Matthew Phipps and Ian Torpe, contested the claims of public nuisance. They argued that the individuals photographed were not necessarily their customers and that even if they were, their presence did not constitute a public nuisance. They highlighted that the premises had a clean record with no previous complaints from other residents and that environmental health had found no evidence of noise nuisance during their investigations. The licence holder also pointed out that they voluntarily do not serve alcohol after midnight, despite their licence allowing them to do so until 12:30 am, as a gesture of goodwill. They suggested that Mr. Zaloff's application was frivolous, vexatious, and repetitious, given previous reviews and the lack of substantiated evidence.

Environmental Health officers presented their findings, stating that while noise can be intermittent, their investigations, including daily monitoring by a city inspector and response team visits, had not identified any noise nuisance from the premises during the relevant hours. They also noted that noise monitoring equipment would not be effective due to the distance and background noise from the busy road.

The committee did not announce a decision on this application at the meeting, stating that members would retire to make their decision and a summary would be sent within five working days.