The Licensing Sub-Committee of Redbridge Council met on Thursday 3 September 2026 to consider an application for a new premises licence for Ali Curry House. The meeting's agenda also included the procedure for licensing hearings.

Procedure for Licensing Hearings

The committee was scheduled to follow a specific procedure for its licensing hearings. This procedure outlines that the Chair would explain the process to the parties involved. An officer from the Licensing Authority would then present a factual summary of the application. The Sub-Committee would then consider the case presented by the applicant, followed by the case from any responsible authority making representations. This would be followed by a summing up from each party, after which the Sub-Committee would make its decision in private. Official notice of the decision would be communicated to all parties within five working days.

Application for a Premises Licence: Ali Curry House

A significant item on the agenda was the application for a new premises licence for Ali Curry House, located at 303 High Road, Ilford, IG1 1NR. The application, submitted by Natasha Nunn on behalf of applicant Mr Khurram Shahzad, sought to enable the licensable activity of late-night refreshment.

The application requested the premises to be open for late-night refreshment from Monday to Sunday, between 23:00 and 05:00 the following day. The hours the premises would be open to the public were requested to be 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The premises is described as a restaurant and takeaway business with no sale of alcohol.

The report pack indicated that three objections had been lodged by responsible authorities: the Metropolitan Police Licensing Team, the Council's Licensing Enforcement team, and Public Health. These objections were based on concerns that the application, if granted, could negatively impact all four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

The premises is situated within the Ilford Town Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ), a designated area where there is a presumption against granting new licences or extending hours due to the concentration of licensed premises and late-night activity. The report highlighted that the requested hours significantly exceed the framework hours recommended in the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy for licensed restaurants and cafes in the Ilford Town area.

The report also detailed the legal and fairness implications of the application, including considerations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010.

The Licensing Sub-Committee was presented with several options for its decision: to grant the application, grant it with additional conditions, grant it in part only, or reject the application.

The report pack included appendices containing the full application, site plans, Google Maps views, details of the representations made by the responsible authorities, and the relevant sections of the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy.