The Licensing Sub-Committee of Croydon Council met on Wednesday 23 September 2026 to consider a review of a premises licence. The primary focus of the meeting was a report concerning the licence for 48 High Street, Croydon, CR0 1YB.

Review of Premises Licence at 48 High Street, Croydon

The committee was scheduled to consider an application for a review of the premises licence for 48 High Street, Croydon, CR0 1YB. The report detailed that this review was initiated by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Licensing Compliance Team. The grounds for the review were related to the licensing objective of the prevention of crime and disorder, specifically concerning allegations of illegal working at the premises.

The report outlined the potential actions the Licensing Sub-Committee could take, which included:

• Taking no action.
• Modifying the conditions of the licence.
• Excluding a licensable activity from the scope of the licence.
• Removing the designated premises supervisor.
• Suspending the licence for a period not exceeding three months.
• Revoking the licence.

The report pack provided extensive background information on the premises licence, including its history and the licensable activities it authorised, which were the provision of late-night refreshment and regulated entertainment in the form of recorded music. The permitted hours for these activities extended to 4:00 am on Tuesdays to Saturdays.

The review application itself detailed that on 17 September 2025, immigration officers visited the premises, known as Sam's Chicken, and encountered two individuals identified as working in breach of their immigration conditions. One individual, who admitted to working at the premises for approximately two months and receiving cash payments, was an immigration overstayer. The second individual was also identified as an overstayer and absconded from the premises during the visit, reportedly through a rear window.

The report argued that the employment of illegal workers indicated a failure by those responsible for the premises to conduct the necessary right-to-work checks, which is a legal obligation for all employers. It was stated that the Home Office had issued a Civil Penalty Notice of £40,000 to Ayana Investments Limited, the company associated with Sam's Chicken, for employing an individual without the right to work. This penalty remained unpaid and had been referred to debt collectors.

The Home Office Immigration Enforcement submitted that the licence holder and those managing the premises knew, or should have known, that individuals without the right to work were being employed. This was considered a direct contravention of the licensing objective of the prevention of crime and disorder, as illegal working provides an unfair financial advantage to non-compliant operators and undermines legitimate businesses. The report cited guidance from the Licensing Act 2003, which states that employing individuals disqualified from working due to their immigration status should be treated particularly seriously, and that revocation of a licence should be seriously considered in such circumstances.

The Home Office Immigration Enforcement requested that the premises licence be revoked, arguing that a lesser measure would be insufficient as a deterrent.

Following the discussion of this item, the committee was scheduled to consider the exclusion of the press and public from the remainder of the meeting for the discussion of Part B of the report, which was labelled as Unredacted.