The Licensing Sub-Committee of Havering Council granted both applications to transfer a premises licence and vary the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) for Best One, located at 5-7 Boxmoor Road, Romford. This decision was made after considering representations from the Police, who had raised concerns about the proposed management structure and the involvement of a previous leaseholder.

Application to Transfer a Premises Licence and Vary Designated Premises Supervisor for Best One

The committee granted both the application to transfer the premises licence and to vary the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) for Best One, located at 5-7 Boxmoor Road, Romford. The applicant, Arwin Singh Sareen, sought to take over the licence and become the DPS.

The Police had submitted an objection notice, raising concerns about the proposed management arrangements. PC Chris Stockman of the East Area Licensing Team stated that while police checks found no concerns with Mr. Sareen himself, his residence in Hayes, West London, approximately 1.5 to 2 hours away from the premises, raised questions about his ability to exercise genuine day-to-day control. Significant concerns were also raised regarding the involvement of Mr. Gurmeet Singh Hakimzada. Mr. Hakimzada is named as the tenant on the lease with the Council, and the Police noted that a previous lease agreement between Mr. Hakimzada and Mr. Sareen was not permitted under the terms of the Council's lease. This arrangement, along with Mr. Hakimzada's history, including the revocation of a licence for Anil Food & Wine in Ealing in 2019¹, led the Police to believe that Mr. Hakimzada might continue to exert influence over the premises' operations.

During the hearing, Mr. Sareen clarified that he would be employed as the manager and would be responsible for the day-to-day running of the shop. He stated, I will not proceed the sublease, because he said I'm going to be the manager of the shop, and I'm going to managing everything, and day to day everything, so fully under me. He also indicated his intention to move closer to the premises to better manage the business.

The legal advisor to the subcommittee confirmed that both applications were granted. Parties were informed that they have the right to appeal the decision to the Magistrates' Court within 21 days of receiving the written decision.