The Hounslow Council Licensing Panel met to consider an application for a premises licence. The panel was also scheduled to discuss procedure and policy. Councillor Rasheed Bhatti, Councillor Gurmail Lal, and Councillor Junue Meah were scheduled to be in attendance.

L’Amore Coffee and More - Application for Premises Licence

An application for a premises licence for L’Amore Coffee and More, Unit 1, 33 South Street, Isleworth, TW7 7AL was up for consideration. L’Amore Coffee and More Ltd applied for the licence.

The report pack states that the licensable activities applied for are:

• Supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises: Monday to Sunday 09:00 to 23:00
• The opening hours of the premises: Monday to Sunday 07:00 to 23:30

The report pack notes that the premises are in an area of mixed commercial and residential properties and are not currently licensed.

The applicant included measures in their operating schedule to promote the four licensing objectives¹. These included:

• CCTV will be installed, operated, and fully maintained at all times; images will be retained for at least 28 days and be produced on request of any Responsible Authority. The CCTV will be operational at all times whilst the premises are trading.
• A refusals register will be maintained at all times and will be checked and signed off by the DPS at the end of each week. These will be made available for inspection by any Responsible Authority, upon reasonable request.
• The premises licence holder or DPS² will carry out pre-opening checks to ensure there are no risks to patrons.
• All staff training in relation to the licensing act and challenge 25³ policy will be signed by both the trainer and trainee.
• The premises staff will ensure that the frontage of the restaurant is checked regularly for litter and rubbish.
• No rubbish, including bottles, shall be moved, removed, or placed in outside areas between 23:00hours and 08:00hours.
• When the premises use drivers for the Deliveroo and UberEATS, it will ensure that vehicles are respectfully parked, do not leave engines running or cause any public nuisance. Deliveries will only be made to residential or commercial addresses and not to public places.
• A challenge 25 policy is in place and only recognised forms of ID will be accepted.

Two representations were received, one from an other person and one on behalf of a residents association. Ward Councillors submitted a representation suggesting additional conditions, but withdrew it after the applicant agreed to add them to the licence if the application is granted. The police also did not make a representation as they agreed conditions with the applicant, to be attached to a licence if the application is granted.

The additional conditions agreed upon by the applicant are:

• Drinking will not be allowed outside of the premises, specifically drinks must not be taken to the private parking area.
• In addition to CCTV within the premises, a camera will be sited to cover the rear area of the premises.
• The premises will ensure that there are adequate commercial waste disposal arrangements – and this be monitored at all times.

The police proposed the following conditions:

• Appropriate signage will be displayed, in a prominent position, informing customers they are being recorded on CCTV.
• The premises shall install and maintain a comprehensive CCTV system as per the minimum requirements of the Hounslow Police Licensing Team. All entry and exit points will be covered enabling frontal identification of every person entering in any light condition. The CCTV system shall continually record whilst the premises is open for licensable activities and during all times when customers remain on the premises. All recordings shall be stored for a minimum period of 31 days with date and time stamping. Viewing of recordings shall be made available immediately upon the request of Police or authorised officer throughout the entire 31-day period.
• A staff member from the premises who is conversant with the operation of the CCTV system shall be on the premises at all times when the premises are open. This staff member must be able to provide a Police or authorised council officer copies of recent CCTV images or data with the absolute minimum of delay when requested.
• All staff responsible for selling alcohol shall receive regular training in the Licensing Act 2003.Written records of this training shall be retained and made available to Police and Council officers on request.
• An incident log shall be kept at the premises and made available on request to an authorised officer of the Hounslow Council or the Police. It must be completed within 24 hours of the incident and will record the following:
  • all crimes reported to the venue
  • all ejections of patrons
  • any complaints received concerning crime and disorder
  • any incidents of disorder
  • all seizures of drugs or offensive weapons
  • any faults in the CCTV system, searching equipment or scanning equipment
  • any refusal of the sale of alcohol
  • any visit by a relevant authority or emergency service.
• Notices shall be prominently displayed at all exits requesting patrons to respect the needs of local residents and businesses and leave the area quietly.
• A challenge 25 proof of age scheme shall operate at the premises. Signage shall be displayed advising customers that the scheme is in place. All staff authorised to sell alcohol will be trained in the Challenge 25 scheme and this training will be documented to include the date the training was given, the name of the person who gave the training, the person who received the training and signatures by both trainer and trainee.
• Customers will not be permitted to remove from the premises any alcoholic drinks supplied by the premises in open containers.
• No alcohol shall be supplied if the CCTV equipment is inoperative for any reason.

The Hounslow Licensing Policy states that each of the four licensing objectives are of equal importance and therefore each needs to be considered with equal weight. The council expects applicants to risk assess their proposals and put forward measures aimed at promoting the licensing objectives.

Order of Business and Licensing Panel Procedure

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the order of business for the Licensing Panel, as well as the procedure for the conduct of Panel hearings. The Licensing Panel Procedure document sets out the decision-making process under the Licensing Act 2003, which is administered in the London Borough of Hounslow by the Licensing Committee. This Committee delegates its authority to a Licensing Panel and to Officers of the Council. Each Licensing Panel consists of three members drawn from the membership of the Licensing Committee, and the quorum is two members.