The Licensing Sub-Committee met on Wednesday 30 September 2026 to consider two applications. The committee granted a premises licence for Local Hero, a cafe on Fulham Road, with modified hours and conditions. The committee also reviewed the licence for Ringo Pizza, a takeaway on Fulham Palace Road, and decided to suspend its licence for one month, impose new conditions, and ban a former employee from involvement in the business.

Local Hero, 640 Fulham Road, London, SW6 5RT

The committee granted a premises licence for Local Hero, a cafe located at 640 Fulham Road, London, SW6 5RT, with several conditions. The licence allows for the playing of recorded music and similar activities both indoors and outdoors from 5pm to 11pm, Monday to Sunday. Late-night refreshment will be available indoors only from 11pm to 11:30pm, Monday to Saturday. Alcohol sales are permitted on the premises only, from 5pm to 11:30pm Monday to Saturday, and until 10:30pm on Sundays. The premises will be open to the public from 5pm to midnight Monday to Saturday, and until 11pm on Sundays.

Additional conditions agreed upon include:

• Food and non-alcoholic beverages must be available when alcohol is supplied.
• Alcohol should generally be consumed while seated, though standing is permitted for private events.
• High-definition CCTV must be installed and maintained, with recordings stored for at least 31 days and provided to authorities within 24 hours of request.
• Staff selling alcohol must receive regular training on the Licensing Act 2003 and related objectives.
• A daily incident log must be kept, detailing crimes, ejections, complaints, and other relevant events.
• A strict Challenge 25 age verification policy will be implemented for alcohol sales.
• The premises must have a policy in place to ensure the welfare and safeguarding of vulnerable patrons.
• Refusals of alcohol sales must be logged and signed monthly by the designated premises supervisor.
• A dispersal plan must be implemented and maintained.
• The garden area will be closed to customers from 9pm, with no music played in the garden after this time.
• External doors must be fitted with self-closing devices and not be propped open.
• A visible telephone number for the premises or a responsible staff member must be displayed for public complaints.

During the discussion, applicant Emma Blazevic, owner of Local Hero, explained her vision for the cafe to become a more upmarket bar-style space, similar to her existing branch in Teddington. She highlighted the potential for community events like vinyl nights and expressed a willingness to adapt licence conditions based on neighbour feedback. Councillor Wesley Harcourt raised concerns about noise from the garden area and potential disturbance to residents in flats above the premises. Ms. Blazevic agreed to a 9pm closure for the garden. Objections were raised by local residents and the Barclay Road Conservation Area Neighbourhood Watch, primarily concerning potential public nuisance from extended hours and music, and a potential conflict with the local planning policy¹ which stipulates a 11pm closing time. A local resident submitted a representation in support of the application, believing it would be a positive addition to the area.

Ringo Pizza, 40 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 9PH

The committee reviewed the premises licence for Ringo Pizza, located at 40 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 9PH, following an application by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Team. The review was initiated due to an incident on 18 September 2025, where an employee was found working without the right to work in the UK. This led to a £40,000 civil penalty issued to Moezali Ltd, which remains outstanding.

The committee decided to:

• Suspend the licence for a period of one month.
• Arrange an inspection of the premises by the Licensing Authority in two months' time to ensure compliance with all conditions.
• Bar Mr Shakeeb Ayash, the former licence holder, from being employed at or involved in the management of the premises.
• Mandate the use of an online compliance system for checking employees' right to work, which will be audited at least four times a year.
• Require the premises licence holder to maintain records of right-to-work checks for all employees.
• Ensure that records relating to right-to-work checks are available to authorised officers upon request.
• Ensure that staff responsible for recruitment are instructed on right-to-work check requirements.
• Modify the premises' opening hours to 8am to 4am Sunday to Thursday, and 8am to 5am Friday to Saturday.

During the hearing, Alexandra Romano, representing the Home Office, argued for the revocation of the licence, citing the failure to conduct proper right-to-work checks and the outstanding civil penalty as evidence of a lack of compliance and confidence in the management. She stated that suspension or further conditions would not provide sufficient reassurance.

Sami Rizvi, representing the current licence holder, Yousef Aga, argued that Mr Aga was not responsible for the historic incidents as he only became the licence holder in August 2026. He stated that Mr Aga was committed to ensuring robust right-to-work procedures and was willing to work with the licensing authority on appropriate safeguards. He requested that revocation be considered disproportionate.

The committee noted that the previous licence holder, Shakeeb Ayash, had attempted to surrender the licence but was informed he was no longer the licence holder due to the transfer to Yousef Aga. The hearing was adjourned on 9 September 2026 to allow the new licence holder, Mr Aga, adequate time to prepare and be represented.

The Noise and Nuisance Team confirmed they had no record of complaints regarding Ringo Pizza, and therefore did not support the review application on those grounds.