The Kensington and Chelsea Licensing Sub-Committee convened to discuss a temporary event notice (TEN) application for Pepperon Cafe, located at 72 Lancaster Road, during the Notting Hill Carnival. The committee ultimately decided to issue a counter notice, effectively denying the application, due to concerns about public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder. This decision was made after considering objections from the police and environmental health representatives.

Temporary Event Notice for Pepperon Cafe - Counter Notice Issued

The primary focus of the meeting was the consideration of a TEN application submitted by Aikaterini Evangelopoulou for the Pepperon Cafe, seeking permission to sell alcohol off the premises during the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August 2025. The committee decided to issue a counter notice under Section 105 of the Licensing Act 2003, meaning that the requested licensable activities were not approved. The committee determined that allowing the TEN would undermine the licensing objectives related to the prevention of crime, disorder, and public safety.

Laura McGann from the licensing team, outlined the application, noting objections from the Metropolitan Police, based on concerns of crime, disorder and public safety, and from Environmental Health, based on concerns of public nuisance and public safety. The report before the committee noted that Ms Evangelopoulou sought to use the forecourt of the premises, with a maximum of six people at any one time.

James Rankin, legal advisor for the police, explained the police had adopted a more robust approach to the hitherto permissive approach that we used to take to temporary events notices due to public safety concerns. He highlighted an email from Superintendent Jim Brockway, Sector 3 Bronze commander, who stated that Lancaster Road is a major pedestrian thoroughfare and anything causing a static crowd would be a public safety issue. Mr Rankin stated that the existing premises licence only allowed service to seated customers taking table meals. He said that the police had offered to withdraw their objection if Ms Evangelopoulou agreed to serve customers inside the premises, but she declined, citing mental health concerns about operating a premises where carnival goers came inside to purchase alcohol. Mr Rankin also noted the close proximity of two sound systems, Rapperstack and People's Sound, and the lack of a risk assessment or event management plan.

PC Paul Connolly added that months of planning go into the carnival between the police, the local authority and Notting Hill Carnival Limited, and the sale of alcohol from this location was not part of those plans.

Councillor Dori Schmetterling questioned why this particular application was so bothersome, given that the existing licence stipulated drink when sitting down and a section of Lancaster Road was designated for managed pedestrian access. She also asked whether the risk from nearby sound systems had changed. PC Connolly responded that the police had changed their overarching approach to TENs due to alarming crowd density issues from the previous year's carnival.

Councillor Schmetterling noted that Ms Evangelopoulou proposed to have security guards present to assist in dispersal. Councillor Mary Therese Rossi, chair of the meeting, pointed out that there was no event management plan or risk assessment to support this. Councillor Schmetterling referred to the applicant's written submission, which stated that licensed SIA¹ security staff would be hired to manage queues and monitor the premises perimeter. The council's legal officer, Lindsay Lemazurier, noted that the police had made it clear that they had not received anything further from the premises user. She asked whether the applicant had been informed that a risk assessment and event management plan would be expected if she wanted to have off-sales outside the premises. PC Connolly responded that PC Donna Wilcox had informed the applicant that the police would be more inclined to support the application if the event was held inside the premises, in line with the existing licence, but no risk assessment or event management plan had been submitted.

Councillor Schmetterling suggested that if a counter notice was issued, it could be made clear that the references to security staff and management needed to be amplified and that a new notice could be issued. Ms Lemazurier advised against this, stating that it could bind the hands of whichever committee determined any future application.

Kieran McKenna from Environmental Health, explained that Julian Trill had submitted the objection for this TEN, because they believed that granting the TEN would not promote the public safety licensing objective. He cited the supporting evidence from Sector 3 Bronze, indicating the high volume of pedestrian traffic on Lancaster Road. He also noted that the council had taken steps to remove street traders from the route and was not issuing street trading licences from private properties onto the highway.

Ms Lemazurier asked whether there were any conditions on the existing premises licence that could be transposed onto the TEN, if the committee decided not to issue a counter notice. After reviewing the existing licence, Mr Rankin suggested that conditions relating to CCTV, removal of seated customers, and external sound systems could be relevant.

Before adjourning to make a decision, Councillor Rossi noted that the applicant had mentioned financial compensation and consequences in an additional document, but this was not relevant to the licensing issue.

Appendices to the Report

The public reports pack included several appendices:

• Appendix A was a copy of the temporary event notice.
• Appendix B was a copy of the police objection, citing concerns about public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder.
• Appendix C was a copy of the objection from the Noise and Nuisance Team, raising concerns about public safety.
• Appendix D contained extracts from the council's statement of licensing policy, including sections on temporary event notices, significant/major events, and the Notting Hill Carnival.
• Appendix E F included a map of the area and a list of licensed premises in the vicinity.
• Appendix G was a map of the 2024 Notting Hill Carnival footprint.
• Appendix H was a list of temporary event notices received for the 2025 carnival.