The Licensing Sub-Committee of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council met on Thursday, 8 October 2026, to consider an application for a review of a premises licence. The primary focus of the meeting was a review of the licence for the Earl of Lonsdale pub, prompted by complaints regarding public nuisance and potential crime and disorder.

Review of Premises Licence for the Earl of Lonsdale

The meeting was scheduled to consider an application for a review of the premises licence for the Earl of Lonsdale, located at 277-281 Westbourne Grove, London, W11 2QA. The application for review was submitted by Shapur Keshvari, a resident, citing grounds of prevention of crime and disorder and prevention of public nuisance.

The report pack indicated that the grounds for the review stemmed from recurring incidents of public nuisance originating from the premises' beer garden, external seating, and immediate frontage. These concerns included repeated amplified music, late-night disturbances, and the continued availability of external seating after hours. Mr. Keshvari had reportedly used the council's Noise & Nuisance reporting service and sought police assistance on multiple occasions.

The applicant, Mr. Keshvari, proposed that the concerns could be addressed through proportionate conditions, including:

• A prohibition on amplified music or amplified entertainment in external areas.
• An enforceable terminal time for the beer garden and external customer seating, with these areas to be cleared and alcohol consumption to cease by that time.
• The removal or securing of external tables and benches after the applicable terminal time.
• An effective written dispersal policy and active staff supervision of the frontage and external areas, particularly at closing.
• Effective control of internally generated amplified music to prevent nuisance to nearby residential premises.
• The maintenance of a contemporaneous incident and complaints log, available to authorised officers.

The licensing authority had also received representations in support of the review application from The Pembridge Association and The Ladbroke Association. The Pembridge Association highlighted disturbances from the premises, particularly from the flat roof area, and suggested conditioning the exclusion of this area for hospitality purposes. The Ladbroke Association, while located across the street, also noted that its members suffered from noise from the pub.

The premises licence holder, Samuel Smith (Southern), had not submitted a response to the review application at the time the report pack was compiled.

The report pack outlined the potential steps the Licensing Sub-Committee could take, including taking no further action, modifying licence conditions, excluding a licensable activity, removing the Designated Premises Supervisor, suspending the licence for up to three months, or revoking the licence. The committee was advised to consider these steps with a view to promoting the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

The report pack also included details of the premises' current licence, which permits the sale of alcohol on and off the premises, and late-night indoor refreshment, with specific hours for each activity. It also listed previous noise and nuisance complaints received by the council over the preceding 24 months.

The meeting was scheduled to be held in public in the Council Chamber at Kensington Town Hall. The agenda and supporting documents, including the report pack, were made publicly available. The agenda for the meeting can be found at Agenda frontsheet 08th-Oct-2026 10.00 Licensing Sub-Committee, and the full reports pack is available at Public reports pack 08th-Oct-2026 10.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.