The Licensing Sub Committee A of Islington Council met on Monday 15 June 2026 to review the premises licence for Gem Restaurant. The committee decided to exclude the press and public from the hearing to consider exempt information and subsequently imposed several conditions on the licence, including the removal of the basement area from licensable activities and a reduction in operating hours for the ground floor.

Gem Restaurant Premises Licence Review

The Licensing Sub Committee A reviewed the premises licence for Gem Restaurant, located at 265 Upper Street, London, N1 2UQ. The review was initiated by the Metropolitan Police under Section 53A of the Licensing Act 2003, citing concerns related to serious crime and disorder.

The committee agreed to hold the hearing in private to consider exempt information, as requested by the premises licence holder and not opposed by the Metropolitan Police.

Following deliberation, the sub-committee resolved to apply several conditions to the premises licence to promote the licensing objectives, particularly the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety. These conditions include:

• Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) Changes: If a current application to vary the premises licence to specify a new DPS fails, Mr Eyup Ozturk shall be removed from the role of DPS indefinitely and prohibited from the day-to-day management of the premises.
• Fire Risk Assessment: The premises licence holder must provide the licensing authority with a copy of the most recent fire risk assessment annually within 21 days of its completion.
• Personal Licence Holder Presence: At all times when the premises are open for licensable activities, a personal licence holder must be present on the premises and comply with reasonable requests from responsible authority officers.
• Basement Area Exclusion: The basement area of the premises is excluded from the scope of the premises licence, meaning no licensable activities can take place there.
• Reduced Operating Hours: The hours of operation for the ground floor are to be reduced. The sale of alcohol will be authorised from 08:00 to 23:00 on Sundays to Thursdays, and from 08:00 to 00:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Late night refreshment will be permitted on Fridays and Saturdays from 23:00 to 00:00. The premises will be open to the public from 08:00 to 23:00 on Sundays to Thursdays, and from 08:00 to 00:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Safe Keeping of Sharp Objects: The premises licence holder must incorporate robust procedures for the secure storage and accounting of sharp objects, including kitchen knives, to ensure they are inaccessible to unauthorised persons. These procedures must be documented and available for inspection.
• Music Restrictions: No live music (amplified or unamplified) is permitted. The playing of recorded music is restricted to background level only.

These conditions were also applied as interim steps pending their full implementation.

Reasons for the Decision:

The sub-committee noted that the weapon used in a serious assault on 16 May 2026 was obtained from the premises' kitchen. They found significant failures in management and security, including unrestricted access to the kitchen, the removal of a knife for the assault, and the suspect obtaining a further knife after the incident. The sub-committee also highlighted failures in how the incident was handled, including the premises not contacting the police directly, not properly identifying the suspect to attending officers, and allowing the suspect to leave the premises.

Evidence of wider non-compliance was also considered, including failures to provide CCTV footage when requested, obstruction of authorised officers, and concerns regarding smoking, fire safety, and general licence condition compliance. This indicated a pattern of poor management and a lack of cooperation with regulatory authorities.

The sub-committee concluded that there was a clear and ongoing risk to the licensing objectives, particularly crime and disorder and public safety, due to inadequate management practices, poor incident handling, and insufficient licence condition compliance.

While acknowledging the seriousness of the incident, the sub-committee decided against revoking the licence, considering the comprehensive nature of the imposed conditions and the removal of those responsible for the failings. The sub-committee expressed no confidence in the individual responsible for the management at the time of the incident and deemed it necessary for them to be removed from any management role and prohibited from acting as DPS in the future. The imposed measures were considered appropriate and proportionate to address the failings, mitigate future risk, and promote the licensing objectives.

The meeting concluded at 9:45 pm.