The Licensing Sub-Committee of Havering Council was scheduled to consider an application for a premises licence for Lakers Chicken, located at Unit 2A, 2-4 Eastern Road, Romford, RM1 3PJ. The meeting's agenda also included procedural matters related to hearings.

Application for a Premises Licence - Lakers Chicken

The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application for a premises licence for Lakers Chicken, submitted by Littlemore Foods Ltd. The application sought permission for the provision of late-night refreshment.

The applicant, Littlemore Foods Ltd, proposed revised operating hours for late-night refreshment. These were:

• Sunday to Wednesday: 23:00 to 01:00
• Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: 23:00 to 03:00
• Non-Standard Timings: 23:00 to 03:00 on Sundays before Bank Holidays, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve.

The applicant acknowledged that the premises is located within Havering's Romford Town Centre Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ). The CIZ is in place to address issues of alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour in the town centre. The applicant stated they had reduced their requested hours and proposed a comprehensive set of conditions to promote the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

These proposed conditions included:

• Prevention of Crime and Disorder: Installation and maintenance of a CCTV system, staff training on its operation, an incident log, prominent display of notices regarding CCTV and premises hours, staff training on customer conduct and conflict avoidance, prohibition of alcohol on the premises, and the closure of dine-in tables by 23:15 daily. An SIA Licensed Door Supervisor was proposed to be on duty from 23:00 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and non-standard timing nights.
• Public Safety: Preparation and review of a Fire Risk Assessment and Emergency Plan, with staff receiving fire safety training.
• Prevention of Public Nuisance: Implementation of a Dispersal Policy, regular maintenance of ventilation and extraction systems to prevent odours, provision and emptying of adequate litter bins, and keeping the outside of the restaurant tidy. A limit of four customers smoking outside at any one time was also proposed.
• Protection of Children from Harm: A condition that no unaccompanied children under 16 would be allowed on the premises after 23:00, and staff training in safeguarding children.

The report pack also detailed the procedure for hearings under the Licensing Act 2003, outlining the roles of the sub-committee, legal advisor, and clerk, as well as the process for introducing applications, presenting documentary evidence, and making representations.

Representations were made by responsible authorities, including the Metropolitan Police, the Licensing Authority, and Havering's Environmental Health Department. The Police objected to the application, citing concerns that operating until 05:00 would lead to increased crime and disorder, risk to public safety, and anti-social behaviour, particularly within the Romford Town CIZ. They noted that the proposed terminal times exceeded Havering Council's licensing policy of 01:00 for such premises.

The Licensing Authority also raised objections, highlighting the premises' location in a significant crime hot-spot and within the CIZ. They stated that the application did not adequately acknowledge these factors or provide sufficient justification for the requested terminal hours, which were outside the council's policy guidelines. Concerns were also raised regarding the protection of children from harm, with the Licensing Authority noting the absence of specific safeguarding measures in the application, particularly given the proposed late operating hours. The Licensing Authority's policy suggests that for hot food and drink takeaways, the guideline terminal hour is midnight on Sundays to Thursdays and 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

The applicant, Littlemore Foods Ltd, is a private limited company registered with Companies House, with Ahmad Akhtar listed as a Director. The application was received by Havering's Licensing Authority on 9 November 2023. The premises previously held a licence as Guvnors Grill, which was revoked in 2016.