The Licensing Sub Committee Hearing Panel was scheduled to consider a summary review of a premises licence for Napoleons, a venue on Bloom Street, and an application for a new premises licence for White Label Cafe on Baring Street. The meeting was also scheduled to address any urgent business or appeals.

Summary Review of Premises Licence - Napoleons

The panel was scheduled to consider a summary review of the premises licence for Napoleons, located at 35 Bloom Street, Manchester, M1 3LY. This review was initiated by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) due to concerns about serious crime associated with the premises. The report indicated that the premises had been linked to a National Crime Agency investigation into the importation, attempted importation, and exportation of Class A and Class B drugs. The Premises Licence Holder and Designated Premises Supervisor, Guixiang Liu, had been found guilty of four offences in a Crown Court trial and was awaiting sentencing.

The report detailed that interim steps had been taken on 17 September 2026, resulting in the suspension of the licence pending the full review hearing. The panel was scheduled to review these interim steps and determine whether they should remain in place, be modified, or withdrawn. The report outlined the potential actions the panel could take, including modifying licence conditions, excluding licensable activities, removing the designated premises supervisor, suspending the licence for up to three months, or revoking the licence entirely.

Application for New Premises Licence - White Label Cafe

The panel was also scheduled to consider an application for a new premises licence for White Label Cafe, located at 1 Baring Street, Manchester, M1 2PY. The applicant, Broadwick Venues Limited, described the premises as a community-focused coffee shop, hospitality and programmed event space. The application sought to allow for plays, films, live and recorded music, performances of dance, and other entertainment involving music or dance until 2 am daily. It also requested permission for the sale of alcohol from 9 am to 2 am daily, with a non-standard timing that would restrict sales to the public until 8 pm, with later sales permitted only in connection with pre-booked programmed events.

The application had attracted relevant representations from two responsible authorities: the Licensing and Out of Hours Compliance Team and the Trading Standards Service. The Licensing and Out of Hours Compliance Team raised concerns about potential public nuisance and noise disturbance, particularly due to the proximity of residential accommodation and the large number of patrons vacating nearby venues like Depot Mayfield and Freight Island at similar times. They recommended amendments to the operating hours, including reducing the terminal hour for alcohol sales to 8 pm and removing late-night refreshment and regulated entertainment activities. The Trading Standards Service objected on the grounds of protecting children from harm, specifically requesting additional conditions related to the Challenge 25 age verification policy, staff training, and the maintenance of a refusals register. Agreement had been reached with the Trading Standards Service on proposed conditions.

The report outlined the legal considerations, including the Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005, and referred to the Secretary of State's Guidance to the Licensing Act 2003 and Manchester City Council's Statement of Licensing Policy. The panel was scheduled to determine the application, considering the representations made and deciding whether to grant the licence with conditions, exclude certain activities, refuse to specify a designated premises supervisor, or reject the application entirely.