The Licensing and Planning Policy Committee convened to discuss updates to the council's licensing policies and to review recent decisions. Councillors approved a draft statement of policy under the Licensing Act 2003 for consultation, with an amendment to include the entirety of Upper High Street and Waterloo Road in the Special Stress Area¹. The committee also approved a draft statement of principles under the Gambling Act 2005 for public consultation.

Review of Statement of Policy under the Licensing Act 2003

The committee voted to approve a draft Statement of Policy under the Licensing Act 2003 for public consultation, with some agreed amendments. The Licensing Act 2003 is the legislation that governs the licensing of premises selling alcohol, providing regulated entertainment, and late-night refreshment. The council is required to review and readopt its statement of policy at least once every five years.

A key change in the revised policy is the replacement of the existing zoning policy for Epsom town centre with a Special Stress Area (SSA) policy. Councillor Alex Coley, Leader of Independents Group, proposed a motion to extend the SSA to include the entirety of Upper High Street and Waterloo Road, which was seconded by Councillor Rob Geleit and agreed.

The report notes that the previous zoning policy was effectively a Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP)², and that under the Policing and Crime Act 2017, CIPs must be evidence-based and reviewed every three years. As Surrey Police had not requested a CIP for Epsom town centre or provided evidence to support one, the zoning policy was replaced with the SSA policy.

The new SSA policy means that applications for late-night premises and club premises certificates within the SSA will not be subject to a presumption of refusal, but operators will be expected to include proposals in their operating schedules to ensure that their operation will not add to antisocial behaviour and violent behaviour in the area.

The committee also unanimously agreed to a motion from Councillor Phil Neale that the Principal Licensing Officer is authorised to make amendments to the policy wording, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, to ensure the wording is sufficiently robust, prior to the public consultation commencement.

Review of Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005

The committee voted to approve a draft Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005 for public consultation. The Gambling Act 2005 sets out how applications for Gambling Premises licences are considered and regulated. The council is required to review and readopt a statement of principles at least once every three years, and to consult on the draft before it is adopted.

The report notes that since the publication of the previous policy, the council has not been informed of or identified any issues associated with the statement's content or its interpretation, and there have been no significant changes to gambling legislation or to the Gambling Commission Licence conditions, codes of practice or guidance to local authorities.

Minutes of Licensing Sub-Committee

The committee received the minutes of the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting held on 16 July 2025 and authorised the Chair of the Sub-Committee meeting to sign them as a true record.

The sub-committee had convened to determine an application for a premises licence for a shop at 31 High Street, Epsom. The application had received objections from local residents.

The applicant's representative, Stewart Gibson, Licence Consultant, SG Licensing Ltd, told the sub-committee that the shop would be small, and would sell vapes, phone accessories and convenience items in addition to alcohol. He stated that the alcohol would be kept behind and directly opposite the sales counter, in full view of staff. He also stated that the applicant, Narinder Marwa, Company Director, and Pawan Marwa, Sales Manager, already operated a vape shop in the town.

Mr Gibson addressed the written representations provided by objectors, stating that 'need' was not a relevant consideration for licensing, that the council did not have a Cumulative Impact Policy in place, and that the objections had not provided any evidence to support their claims.

Objector #2's representative, Maninder Kaur, Personal Licence Course UK Ltd, told the sub-committee that Epsom High Street experiences a significant level of street-drinking, groups loitering and violent crime, and that the late-night sale of alcohol contributes to such crime and disorder. She stated that the part of the High Street the shop would be located was regularly used by young people and that an additional off-licence would increase the visibility and availability of alcohol, giving rise to issues in respect of crime and disorder and children's safety.

The sub-committee voted to grant the licence as applied for, stating that they did not feel there were sustainable grounds to show that the licensing objectives would be undermined by the granting of the licence.

Urgent Decisions

The committee noted an urgent decision taken since the last meeting. The decision authorised the new Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development to have the same authority as the previous Head of Place Development regarding the Local Plan examination. The report notes that the Local Plan examination has already started, so the decision was needed urgently.