The Licensing (2003 Act) Sub-Committee of Newham Council met on Wednesday 22 July 2026. The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application to vary the licence for Food and Wine Costcutter, located at 169 High Street North, East Ham.

Variation of Licence for Food and Wine Costcutter

The meeting was scheduled to consider an application to vary the premises licence for Food and Wine Costcutter, located at 169 High Street North, East Ham, E6 1JB. The applicant, Rajah Sounthararajah, sought to extend the hours for the supply of alcohol and amend a condition regarding the minimum bottle size for spirits.

Specifically, the application proposed to extend the supply of alcohol hours from Monday to Sunday to run from 08:00 to 23:00. Currently, the hours are Monday to Saturday 08:00 – 23:00 and Sunday 10:00 – 22:30. The application also sought to change a condition that stated Spirits should not be sold in bottles of less than 35cl to Spirits should not be sold in bottles of less than 20cl .

The report pack indicated that one resident had made representations against the application, citing concerns related to the licensing objectives of crime and disorder, prevention of public nuisance, protection of children from harm, and public safety.

The report also noted that the premises falls within a Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ). The guidance for CIZs states that there is a rebuttable presumption that applications for a new premises licence or club certificate or variations in respect of such premises would normally be refused, unless the applicant can demonstrate in their operating schedule that there will be no negative impact on one or more of the licensing objectives. The report clarified that each application within a CIZ must be considered on its own merits and that blanket refusals cannot be made.

The report pack also detailed the history of the premises' licence, including a review hearing on 18 June 2024. This review resulted in the imposition of further conditions on the licence due to concerns about the premises selling high-strength alcohol and large quantities of small bottles of spirits to street drinkers. The conditions imposed at that time included restrictions on the sale of beers, lagers, stout, and ciders to a maximum of 6% ABV (with exceptions for Dragon Stout and Guinness Extra), a minimum bottle size of 35cl for spirits, and the sale of beers, lagers, stout, and ciders in packs of no less than two. The report also outlined the procedure for the hearing, which included introductions, presentations, the opportunity for responsible authorities and interested parties to present their cases, and for the applicant to present their case, followed by deliberation and decision.

The meeting was scheduled to follow the standard procedure for licensing hearings, as outlined in the Licensing (2003 Act) Sub-Committee Procedure section of the report pack. This procedure includes introductions, the presentation of officers' reports, the presentation of cases by responsible authorities and interested parties, and the applicant's case, before moving to deliberation and the announcement of a decision.