The Licensing Sub-Committee (1) of Westminster Council was scheduled to consider a variation to a premises licence for German Doner Kebab on St Martin's Lane. The committee's report pack outlined the application and representations received from responsible authorities.

German Doner Kebab, 68-69 St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4JS

The meeting was scheduled to discuss a variation application for a premises licence for German Doner Kebab, located at 68-69 St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4JS. The application, submitted by West London Foods Ltd, sought to extend the hours for late-night refreshment for takeaway and delivery services to 3:00 AM. The premises currently operates as a fast-food kebab restaurant and is situated within the West End Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) ¹.

The report pack indicated that the applicant had initially sought to extend hours further but had since reduced the requested hours and withdrawn seasonal variations. The proposed new hours for late-night refreshment were Monday to Sunday from 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM, with specific non-standard timings requested for Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve from 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM. The application also proposed extending the overall opening hours of the premises to 5:00 AM to 3:00 AM daily.

Representations were received from several responsible authorities. The Metropolitan Police Service, represented by PC Adam Deweltz, opposed the variation, citing concerns that the extended hours would likely undermine the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder, public nuisance, and protecting children from harm. The police highlighted the area's significant crime rates, particularly street robberies and alcohol-related violence, and the strain on police resources. They argued that extending late-night refreshment hours could encourage revellers to remain in the area for longer, increasing the potential for crime and anti-social behaviour.

Environmental Health, represented by Stephanie Appiah-Anderson, also submitted a representation, stating that the requested hours could undermine the licensing objectives of preventing public nuisance and public safety.

The Licensing Authority, represented by Jessica Donovan, also raised concerns regarding the potential impact on all four licensing objectives. They noted that the application sought hours beyond the council's core hours and that the premises was located within the West End CIZ, which has a presumption to refuse certain types of applications to promote licensing objectives. The Licensing Authority stated that the applicant would need to demonstrate exceptional circumstances and provide additional measures to show that the variation would not add to the cumulative impact in the area.

The report pack included details of the City of Westminster's Statement of Licensing Policy ², which outlines core hours for different types of premises, and the Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP1) for the West End, which has a presumption to refuse applications for fast-food premises seeking hours outside of core times. The applicant's current premises licence, issued on 6 April 2022, permitted late-night refreshment from 11:00 PM to 12:00 AM Sunday to Thursday, and 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM on Friday and Saturday. The overall opening hours were from 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM Sunday to Thursday, and 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM on Friday and Saturday.

The report pack also detailed proposed conditions that had been agreed between the applicant and the Police, and the applicant and Environmental Health, covering areas such as CCTV, incident logging, door supervision, waste management, and noise control.