The Licensing Sub-Committee of Southwark Council met on Thursday 17 January 2013 and decided to withdraw the revocation of the premises licence for The Good Intent pub. This decision followed a review of the licence due to previous issues including the sale of counterfeit goods and breaches of smoking legislation.

The Good Intent Pub Licence Reinstated

The council's licensing sub-committee decided to withdraw the revocation of the premises licence for The Good Intent, located at 24 East Street, London SE17 2DN. This decision overturns the previous revocation made on 24 July 2012. The original revocation was a consequence of serious breaches, including the sale of substituted Smirnoff vodka, non-duty paid cigarettes, counterfeit and unclassified DVDs, and instances of smoking and gambling on the premises. These issues had also led to the prosecution of the then-designated premises supervisor.

Following the original revocation, a new licence was issued on 22 August 2012 to the current licence holder, Marie Grehan, and Wendy Pooley became the designated premises supervisor in October 2012. Since these changes, the sub-committee noted a significant improvement in the running of the premises. An inspection in September 2012 found the pub to be operating in full compliance with its licence conditions. The trading standards department has also withdrawn its initial representation.

Despite the improvements, the sub-committee has imposed seven additional conditions to ensure continued compliance and the promotion of licensing objectives. These include:

• Prominent display of crime prevention notices.
• Ashtrays to be placed only in unenclosed or substantially unenclosed areas, in line with the Health Act 2006¹.
• Display of Drugs Free Zone signs.
• Maintenance of an incident log detailing any crime and disorder issues.
• Installation of fire door type push bar locks with alarms on rear gates leading from the smoking area.
• Development and implementation of an anti-drugs policy in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Service and the Southwark anti-social behaviour unit.
• Training for staff on the anti-drugs policy, smoke-free legislation, and the Licensing Act 2003², with records of training kept.

The sub-committee acknowledged that there is an ongoing appeal at the magistrates' court to which this decision may also be subject. The meeting was attended by Councillor Lorraine Lauder MBE (Chair), Councillor David Hubber, and Councillor The Right Revd Emmanuel Oyewole. Debra Allday (legal officer), Roy Fielding (licensing officer), and Bill Masini (trading standards officer) were also present. Apologies were received from Councillor Sunil Chopra. The meeting concluded at 11.40 am.