The Licensing Sub-Committee of Havering Council met on Thursday 25 June 2026 to consider an application for a premises licence for Drinks Direct, located at 59 Chippenham Road, Romford. The committee decided to refuse the application for the premises licence.

Application for a Premises Licence - Drinks Direct, 59 Chippenham Road, Romford

The committee considered an application for a premises licence for Drinks Direct, an off-licence and convenience store located at 59 Chippenham Road, Romford RM3 8HL. The application was made by Mr Ravinder Singh Grover. The proposed hours for the sale of alcohol were Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 23:00, and Sunday from 10:00 to 22:30.

The premises is situated in the Gooshays cumulative impact zone, an area identified in Havering's licensing policy as having a high density of licensed premises that may be undermining the licensing objectives. The policy creates a rebuttable presumption that applications that add to this cumulative impact will normally be refused unless the applicant can demonstrate why the operation would not have an adverse impact.

A representation was made by the Licensing Authority, citing concerns about the applicant's history with licensed premises. This included a previous licence review for The Drinks Seller (the same premises) which resulted in the revocation of its licence in April 2026. Further concerns were raised regarding Mr Grover's involvement in other licensed premises, including a licence review in Slough in 2012 where illegal alcohol and tobacco were seized, and subsequent findings of counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol in 2015. Additionally, a premises licence connected to Mr Grover was revoked in Maldon in 2017 due to the employment of individuals without the legal right to work in the UK. The Licensing Authority argued that the applicant had not demonstrated exceptional circumstances to overcome the cumulative impact policy and had not provided sufficient evidence that the issues identified in previous reviews would not be repeated.

The committee also noted that the premises had recently had its licence revoked following a review hearing, indicating serious failings in management and an inability to promote the licensing objectives. The police also objected to a previous attempt to transfer the licence for this premises, citing concerns about Mr Gurmeet Singh Hakimzada, who was linked to the applicant and had his own premises licence revoked in 2018. The police believed the application represented a transfer by proxy, with Mr Hakimzada potentially exercising influence or control behind the scenes.

After considering all representations and evidence, the Licensing Sub-Committee decided to refuse the application for the premises licence for Drinks Direct.