The Licensing Sub-Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council granted a new premises licence for Anar Local Market, located at 40 Old London Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT2 6QF, with modified operating hours. The committee decided to grant the licence in part, imposing conditions and reducing the alcohol sales hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Anar Local Market Premises Licence Application

The Licensing Sub-Committee considered an application for a new premises licence for Anar Local Market, located at 40 Old London Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT2 6QF. The application, submitted by Absolute License Solutions Limited on behalf of Kingston Local Limited, sought to authorise the retail sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The proposed opening hours for the premises were from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

During the consultation period, the applicant agreed to amend the alcohol sales start time to 9 a.m. following discussions with Children's Services. No representations were received from responsible authorities, including the police. However, one valid representation was received from a local resident, Mr. Kuhn, who raised concerns relating to all four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

Mr. Kuhn, who lives approximately 100 yards from the premises, expressed fears that the sale of alcohol until 11 p.m. would exacerbate existing anti-social behaviour issues on Old London Road. He described instances of people purchasing alcohol to consume on the street, leaving bottles and causing disturbances, particularly on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. He highlighted that a Section 35 dispersal order had recently been issued across Kingston Town, indicating significant alcohol-related disorder in the area. Mr. Kuhn urged the committee to reject the application, arguing that another off-licence would worsen these problems.

The applicant's representative, Mr. Daly, argued that the application had been carefully considered, with measures in place to address potential issues such as restricting the sale of high-strength alcohol and single cans/bottles. He stated that the objection was speculative and not evidence-based, and that enforcement should focus on existing problem premises rather than a new business. He also noted that only one objection was received from 154 households consulted.

Councillor Yvonne Tracey questioned the applicant about staff training and their confidence in refusing service to intoxicated individuals. Mr. Siddiqui, the applicant, confirmed that staff would be trained to refuse service and that all refusals would be logged and visible on CCTV. He also stated that two staff members would be on duty from 7 p.m. until closing.

After considering the representations and legal advice, the Licensing Sub-Committee decided to GRANT IN PART the application. The committee modified the proposed hours, reducing the alcohol sales and opening hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The hours for the rest of the week remained as proposed. The licence was granted subject to a comprehensive set of conditions derived from the applicant's operating schedule and additional conditions imposed by the committee, aimed at promoting the licensing objectives. These conditions included measures for CCTV operation, restrictions on alcohol sales (e.g., no single cans/bottles, limits on ABV, no small spirit bottles), staff training on identifying street drinkers and vulnerable individuals, a Challenge 25 policy, and the maintenance of incident and refusal logs. Notices were also to be displayed encouraging customers to leave quietly and respect neighbours.

The committee noted that should any problems arise concerning the licensing objectives after the grant of the licence, a review application could be submitted. The decision was made in accordance with the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy¹ and the Secretary of State's Guidance² issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003³.