The Alcohol & Gambling Licensing Sub-Committee of West Northamptonshire Council was scheduled to consider a review of a premises licence for Magazinul Maramares. The meeting's agenda also included a discussion on the exclusion of the press and public for certain items.

Premises Licence Review: Magazinul Maramares

The sub-committee was scheduled to consider an application by Northamptonshire Police for a review of the premises licence for Magazinul Maramares, located at 167 Wellingborough Road, Northampton, NN1 4DX. This review was initiated on the grounds of failure to promote the licensing objective of the prevention of crime and disorder.

The report pack detailed an operation on 1 February 2026, involving West Northamptonshire Trading Standards and Northamptonshire Police. During this operation, a test purchase of cigarettes was conducted, and subsequently, a search of the premises revealed a significant quantity of illegal products. These included 170 packets of cigarettes, 15 packets of hand-rolling tobacco, and 170 illegal disposable vaping devices. The report indicated that the tobacco products did not comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015, and were suspected to be counterfeit.

The current premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor is Mr Amed Khudhur. The premises is licensed for the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises between 07:00 and 00:00, Monday to Sunday.

The report outlined the options available to the sub-committee, which included modifying licence conditions, excluding licensable activities, removing the designated premises supervisor, suspending the licence for up to three months, or revoking the licence entirely. The report also noted that no relevant representations were received from responsible authorities or other interested parties during the 28-day consultation period following the notice of review.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The agenda also included a provision for the potential exclusion of the press and public from the meeting. This would be considered under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, should the sub-committee decide that exempt information, as defined by Schedule 12A of the Act, would be disclosed if the public and press were present. The recommendation was to resolve that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that, if the public and press were present, it would be likely that exempt information falling under the provisions of Schedule 12A, Part I, Paragraph(s) XXXXX would be disclosed to them, and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The meeting was scheduled to be held remotely via Zoom. The attendees listed were Councillor Adrian Cartwright, Councillor Andrew Kilbride, and Councillor Peter York (Vice-Chairman of the Council).