The Licensing Sub-Committee of Kensington and Chelsea Council granted a premises licence to Mother Mash Limited for their restaurant at 307 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1EF. The decision was made after considering objections from local residents regarding potential public nuisance and safety concerns.

Application for a Premises Licence for Mother Mash

The committee considered an application from Mother Mash Limited for a premises licence to sell alcohol on and off the premises at 307 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1EF. The applicant proposed to sell alcohol from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday to Saturday, and 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Sundays, with the premises open to the public until 10:30 PM.

Several residents, including Andrew St Clair, Jessica Herrera, Alasdair Flind, and Caroline Atkins, submitted objections. Their primary concerns centred on the potential for increased public nuisance and threats to public safety due to existing issues with noise and crowding from nearby establishments, such as The Warwick pub and Darlish Icecreams. They highlighted that the area already experiences significant pedestrian congestion from market-goers and tourists photographing the Blue Door, and that adding alcohol sales could exacerbate these problems, potentially leading to patrons spilling into the busy road. Concerns were also raised about litter and noise from delivery bike couriers.

During the hearing, the applicant, represented by Euan Ferguson, agreed to several amendments to address the objectors' concerns. Crucially, they agreed that the sale of alcohol would not commence before midday, and that alcohol would only be sold for consumption on the premises via waiter or waitress service to customers seated at tables. The applicant also agreed to a 10:00 PM terminal hour for alcohol sales, with a 30-minute drinking-up period.

The committee discussed various conditions to be attached to the licence. These included:

• Substantial food and non-alcoholic beverages being available throughout permitted hours.
• Alcohol sold for off-premises consumption being in sealed containers.
• A Challenge 25 age verification policy.
• CCTV in operation, with recordings stored for a minimum of 31 days.
• A daily incident log to be maintained.
• Notices at exits requesting patrons to leave quietly.
• A dedicated telephone number for the duty manager to be displayed and provided to residents.
• Staff training on the Licensing Act 2003.
• No music or amplified sound to cause nuisance.
• Restrictions on depositing rubbish outside between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
• Refuse collections and deliveries not taking place between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
• No noise or vibration from plant equipment causing nuisance.
• Alcohol to be sold by waiter or waitress service for consumption by customers seated at tables.
• Outside tables and chairs to be rendered unusable by 10:00 PM, subject to pavement licence conditions and a maximum of six customers.
• Consumption of alcohol on the premises to cease, and patrons to leave no later than 30 minutes after the end of permitted alcohol sales hours.

The committee also discussed the timing of rubbish disposal, with objectors requesting it be pushed back to 8:00 AM. The applicant stated they needed more information about servicing times before agreeing to this.

Ultimately, the committee decided to grant the premises licence to Mother Mash Limited, with the conditions agreed upon during the hearing, including the restriction on alcohol sales starting from midday and the waiter/waitress service for on-premises consumption. The committee noted that the borough does not have cumulative impact zones, meaning each licence application must be considered on its own merits.