The Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee of Brent Council scheduled a meeting to discuss an application for the review of a premises licence. This was triggered by a closure order issued to Essentials, a shop on Church Lane, London. The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Brent Civic Centre.

Review of Premises Licence for Essentials, 383 Church Lane, London, NW9 8JB

The sub-committee was scheduled to discuss an application to review the premises licence of Essentials, 383 Church Lane, Kingsbury, London, NW9 8JB. The applicant for the review was the Metropolitan Police. According to the Public Reports Pack, the grounds for review are:

The grounds for review are the Prevention of Crime & Disorder, the Prevention of Public Nuisance and the Protection of Children from Harm.

The report pack stated that the Metropolitan Police had been granted a closure order under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 by Brent Magistrates Court for a period of 3 months ending on 1 October 2025. The closure order prohibited access to the premises by all persons, except emergency services workers, Brent Council, utility services, and Royal Mail/delivery services, starting 2 July 2025.

The review report noted that the premises is licensed for the sale of alcohol from 9:30am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and until 10:30pm on Sunday. The designated premises supervisor (DPS) is Mr Mahesh Hamraj Shah.

The report pack also included the current licence and plan for the premises, and an OS map.

Licensing Objectives and Potential Actions

The report pack outlined the options available to the sub-committee if it was satisfied that additional measures are required to meet the four licensing objectives¹:

• Modify, remove, or add conditions to the licence
• Exclude one or more licensable activities
• Remove the Designated Premises Supervisor
• Suspend the licence for a period not exceeding 3 months
• Revoke the licence

Conditions of the Licence

The report pack included details of the premises licence, number 162470, granted by Brent Council under the Licensing Act 2003.

The licence includes several mandatory conditions, including:

• An age verification policy, requiring individuals who appear to be under 18 years of age (or older, as specified in the policy) to produce identification bearing their photograph, date of birth, and a holographic mark or ultraviolet feature.
• A minimum price for alcohol, calculated based on duty and value added tax (VAT).
• A requirement for a designated premises supervisor (DPS) who holds a personal licence.
• A requirement that all supplies of alcohol must be made or authorised by a person who holds a personal licence.

The licence also includes conditions consistent with the operating schedule, such as:

• Exclusion of Mr Punit Shah, son of Mr Mahesh Hamraj Shah, from the premises.
• A requirement for a personal licence holder fluent in English to be present and supervise the sale of alcohol throughout the licensable hours.
• Installation and maintenance of CCTV to Home Office Guidance standards, with recordings kept for 31 days and made available to police and licensing officers upon request.

Additional conditions attached after a previous hearing include:

• Specific requirements for CCTV camera placement and capabilities, including coverage of the entrance, till and serving counter area, and store room entrance.
• A requirement for a staff member trained in the use of the CCTV system to be present at all times the premises are open to the public.
• Adoption and adherence to a Challenge 25 policy.
• Visibility of the premises licence summary from outside each entrance.
• Regular training for staff involved in selling alcohol, with documented training logs.
• Maintenance of an incident log to record crimes, complaints, incidents of disorder, CCTV faults, refusals of alcohol sales, and visits by relevant authorities or emergency services.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The sub-committee was scheduled to consider excluding the press and public from the meeting while considering representations from the police, as these contain exempt information relating to the prevention, investigation, or prosecution of crime, as specified in the Local Government Act 1972.