The Licensing Sub-Committee convened to discuss a temporary event notice (TEN) application submitted by Danny Mosh-Alim for the Uganda Festival 2025, scheduled to take place at Damyns Hall Aerodrome on 6 September 2025. The police raised concerns about public safety, crime prevention, and public nuisance, leading to an objection. Ultimately, the sub-committee rejected the application, citing inadequate preparation to promote the licensing objectives¹.

Uganda Festival 2025 Temporary Event Notice Application

The main item on the agenda was the application for a temporary event notice (TEN) submitted by Danny Mosh-Alim for the Uganda Festival 2025 at Damyns Hall Aerodrome in Upminster. The application requested permission to supply alcohol and provide regulated entertainment² between 12:00 and 22:00, with a maximum attendance of 499 people, including staff, organisers, and performers.

Paul Jones, a Highgreens Public Protection Officer, presented a report outlining the details of the TEN application and the concerns raised by the police. The report noted that the Uganda Festival 2025 had previously sought to hold the event in the London Borough of Merton with an anticipated 5,000 attendees, but the application was rejected due to insufficient notice.

PC Ellis Grote of the Metropolitan Police, detailed the police's objections to the TEN application, citing concerns over public safety, prevention of crime and disorder, and prevention of public nuisance. PC Ellis Grote stated that the police had been unable to contact the applicant and that the event's scale appeared to exceed the limits of a TEN.

Police licensing and local authority have tried on numerous occasions to call applicant, this phone number does not ring and goes straight to voicemail. Even though this states it is a TEN for up to 499 people, police have reason to suspect there will be a lot more people attending, so planning meetings for large scale events would be necessary to manage risk.

Joseph Shigund, the owner of the company organising the event, and Ruth Dume, Event Manager, addressed the sub-committee to provide clarity on the application. They explained that the previous application in Merton was based on broader attendance bandings and that the current application was for a smaller, more controlled event. They also stated that ticket sales were lower than anticipated, with approximately 300 tickets sold.

Several concerns were raised by Councillor Christine Smith regarding the number of performers and staff included in the 499-person limit, the potential for a higher number of attendees if children were admitted free of charge, and the lack of engagement with community groups in Havering.

The applicants stated that they would implement crowd control measures, including a clicker system, security personnel, and traffic stewards, to manage the number of attendees and minimise disruption to local residents. They also stated that they would ensure that all staff members had stickers on their cars and would be escorted to designated parking spaces.

Despite the applicants' assurances, the sub-committee remained unconvinced that the event could be managed safely and effectively within the limits of a TEN. The sub-committee members were not convinced that the applicant had adequately prepared to promote the licensing objectives.

The Licensing Sub-Committee decided to reject the TEN application for the Uganda Festival 2025.