The Licensing Sub-Committee of Kensington and Chelsea Council met to consider an objection to a temporary event notice (TEN) for Flat C, 6 St Michael's Gardens, ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival. The sub-committee was scheduled to consider the objection notices, and could issue a counter notice if it thought it necessary to do so to prevent crime or public nuisance.

Objection to Temporary Event Notice: Flat C, 6 St Michael's Gardens

The sub-committee was scheduled to consider a notice given by Mr Michael Sharman to hold a temporary licensable event at Flat C, 6 St Michael's Gardens, London, W10 5SP.

Mr Michael Sharman had submitted a temporary event notice for Sunday 24 August and Monday 25 August 2025, to provide sales of alcohol off the premises during Notting Hill Carnival 2025 between midday and 7pm on each day. Mr Sharman proposed to use the front area of 6 St Michael's Gardens, and proposed a maximum of 15 people at any one time.

According to the report pack, the relevant licensable activities were the sale by retail of alcohol for consumption off the premises.

Objections from Relevant Persons

The report pack indicated that the licensing authority had received objection notices from the Metropolitan Police and the Noise and Nuisance Team.

PC Nick Gerry, on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, objected on the grounds of prevention of crime and disorder and public safety. PC Nick Gerry's representation stated that the location is between the Notting Hill Carnival parade route on Ladbroke Grove and the Saxon Sound System, described as one of the busiest areas of the event. The TEN proposes off-sales of alcohol from the front communal stairs of the property, with customers queuing on the steps and exiting via the same route. The Metropolitan Police considered this arrangement unsafe, with potential to cause congestion, pinch points, and obstruction to emergency access.

The objection notes that the premises is not part of the official event plan by Notting Hill Carnival Ltd (NHCL) and has not been factored into coordinated crowd management. It is the view of the Metropolitan Police that the TEN could result in significant overcrowding, increased tensions, and heightened risks of disorder. The sale of alcohol in this manner is also said to increase vulnerability and the potential for alcohol-related crime.

Appendix B - Police Rep 6 St Mic

Mr Julian Trill, Team Manager at RBKC Environmental Health Noise and Nuisance, objected on the grounds of public safety and prevention of public nuisance. Mr Julian Trill's representation stated that the site is in a high congestion area near the Ladbroke Grove parade route and Saxon Sound System, and that granting the TEN would increase crowding in the area by attracting additional people, potentially creating obstructions on the public highway from customers queuing. The proposed method of service, a queue on steps leading to the front door, was highlighted as an additional safety concern by Mr Julian Trill.

Mr Julian Trill's objection also noted that the submitted Risk Assessment and Event Management Plan did not sufficiently address these safety issues, and that refusal of the TEN would support the licensing objectives¹.

Council Policy

The report pack included extracts from the council's Statement of Licensing Policy, including the following points:

• The Licensing Authority must base its decisions on the promotion of the licensing objectives.
• The Licensing Authority prefers that event organisers give at least 28 days notice of a planned event, and in the case of events planned to take place within the Notting Hill Carnival 'footprint' during the Carnival weekend, recommends that TENs are submitted at least 12 weeks in advance.
• The Licensing Authority will pay particular attention to any application for a premises licence or to any TEN notification in the Carnival footprint, and its close proximity, that is intended to include the weekend of Notting Hill Carnival.
• The Licensing Authority advises applicants to demonstrate how their proposed activity would support the licensing objectives and not have an adverse impact on the existing high demands that the emergency services are under over the Carnival period, including details of how they will control the numbers of people at their venue, stewarding and security arrangements and other crowd control measures, and draft risk assessments and a draft management plan.
• The Licensing Authority will pay particular attention to the measures that are proposed in a Temporary Event Notice in the Carnival footprint to limit the numbers of attendees to 499 at any one time, and is aware of the dangers of 'human bottlenecks' in the Carnival footprint.
• The Licensing Authority will consider the importance, significance and potential consequences of disregarding any evidence provided by the Police or Environmental Health Officers or other competent bodies, when considering contested licence applications/TENs.

The report pack also included a list of temporary event notices received so far for this year's Carnival, excluding notices which have been withdrawn or issued a counter notice, and a map of the 2024 Carnival footprint, indicating the parade route, location of sound systems, bars, street trading sites and safe areas.