The Licensing Panel of Harrow Council met on Thursday 19 September 2024 to consider an application to vary a premises licence for Vogue Lounge. The panel decided to grant the application with amended licensing conditions.

Variation to Premises Licence for Vogue Lounge

The Licensing Panel granted the application to vary the premises licence for Vogue Lounge, located at 136 High Street, Wealdstone, Harrow, HA3 7AL, to include the sale of alcohol for consumption on and off the premises. The licence was also varied to update the premises licence plan to include an extended licensable area.

The application was initially met with objections from local residents, primarily concerning the prevention of crime and disorder and the prevention of public nuisance. Concerns raised included the level of music and noise emanating from the premises, and the potential for increased anti-social behaviour if alcohol sales were permitted. Ms Chandler, representing several residents, highlighted issues such as loud music permeating closed windows, verbal abuse when requests were made to lower the volume, parking problems, and the presence of intoxicated individuals congregating outside the venue. Ms Croft also submitted objections, echoing concerns about noise, parking, and the potential for increased anti-social behaviour and harassment if alcohol was sold until 3:00 am.

The applicant, Mr Hunkar Erpolat, argued that the Licensing Authority had exceeded its authority by extending the statutory consultation period. However, the Panel considered the initial representations from Ms Chandler and other residents to be valid, as they clearly raised issues related to public nuisance and the prevention of crime and disorder.

The Panel carefully considered all representations, the Licensing Act 2003, Statutory Guidance, and Harrow Council's Licensing Policy. They decided to grant the application with a number of conditions carried over from the existing licence and several new conditions. These include:

• Mr Ali Haydar Gumus being added as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS).
• The premises licence plan being amended to reflect the extended licensable area.
• The sale of alcohol for consumption on and off the premises being permitted between 11:00 and 00:00 on Sundays to Wednesdays, and 11:00 to 01:00 on Thursdays to Saturdays.
• All alcohol sales being ancillary to the operation of the premises as a restaurant, with alcohol only supplied with a substantial food order. This condition also applies to online alcohol orders.
• Deliveries of alcohol being restricted to residential or business addresses, with ID verification required for all alcohol deliveries (no ID no delivery ).
• A prohibition on customers taking any drinks outside the premises.
• The retention of existing conditions requiring customers to disperse quietly and avoid congregating outside, and the mandatory presence of at least one SIA registered door supervisor on Fridays and Saturdays from 22:00 until closing time.
• A condition requiring a sound limiter device to be fitted to any musical amplification system.
• All doors and windows to the premises being kept closed after 21:00 hours, except for access and egress.

The Panel concluded that with these amended conditions, the application would satisfy the licensing objectives. Any party aggrieved by the decision has the right to appeal to the magistrates' court within 21 days of notification.

The meeting was chaired by Councillor Ramji Chauhan, with Councillor Matthew Goodwin-Freeman also present. The meeting commenced at 7:00 pm and closed at 8:37 pm.