The Licensing Sub-Committee of Havering Council considered applications to transfer a premises licence and vary the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) for Best One. The committee heard objections from the Metropolitan Police regarding the applicant's association with an individual whose previous licence was revoked.

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

The Licensing Sub-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. This decision was made despite objections from the Metropolitan Police.

The police had raised concerns that the proposed DPS, Mr Arwin Singh Sareen, had an association with Mr Gurmeet Singh Hakimzada, whose premises licence was revoked by Ealing Council in 2019 due to the seizure of illegal tobacco and subsequent breaches of a court order. The police also highlighted that Mr Hakimzada was named as the tenant on the lease agreement for the premises, and that Mr Sareen was a sub-lessee, an arrangement confirmed by the Council's property services team as being in breach of the lease. Furthermore, the police questioned whether Mr Sareen, residing a significant distance from the premises, could exercise genuine day-to-day control.

The applicant's representative argued that Mr Sareen had no criminal convictions and was a person of good character. They clarified that Mr Sareen would be the manager of the premises, not the tenant, and that Mr Hakimzada's previous issues did not meet the exceptional circumstances test for objecting to a licence transfer. It was also stated that Mr Sareen intended to move closer to the premises.

The Sub-Committee was not persuaded by the Metropolitan Police's objections. They noted that the police had not provided sufficient detail to confirm if Mr Hakimzada's past offending constituted a relevant offence under the Licensing Act 2003, or if any convictions remained unspent. The committee was satisfied that Mr Sareen would be responsible for the premises licence and ensuring the licensing objectives were upheld. The Sub-Committee also reminded all parties that the licence could be brought back for review if the premises undermined any licensing objectives.

The decision to grant both applications was made by the Licensing Sub-Committee, comprising Councillor Christine Vickery (Deputy Mayor of Havering), Councillor Kevin Ayres (Champion for Wildlife), and Councillor Geoff Starns. Any party who made a relevant representation has the right to appeal to the Magistrates' Court within 21 days of receiving the written decision.