The Kensington and Chelsea Licensing Sub-Committee met to consider an application for a variation of a premises licence for Pizzetta, located at 22 Bute Street. The application requested permission to include an outside seating area as a licensed area, and to add the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises. The sub-committee was notified that relevant representations had been made concerning the application.

Variation of Premises Licence for Pizzetta, 22 Bute Street

Square Slice Ltd applied to vary the premises licence for Pizzetta, 22 Bute Street, London, SW7 3EX. According to the Public reports pack, the application sought to:

• Update the plan of the premises to include the outside seating area as a licensed area.
• Add the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises.

The proposed hours for the sale of alcohol, both on and off the premises, were listed as Monday to Sunday, 11:30am to 11pm. The proposed hours open to the public were listed as Monday to Sunday 7am to 11:30pm.

The Public reports pack included a copy of the current licence in Appendix A - Current Licence, the variation application in Appendix B - Variation application use this, and the proposed plan of the premises in Appendix C - Proposed Plan.

The designated premises supervisor was named as Mr Massimiliano Tagliapietra.

Proposed Steps to Promote Licensing Objectives

The applicant volunteered an additional condition following discussions with RBKC Licensing:

''All off sales of alcohol shall be taken away from the premises in sealed containers and ancillary to a take away meal save for the consumption of customers seated at outside tables within the tables and chairs licence area and ancillary to a table meal'.

The applicant's statement and proposed steps to promote the licensing objectives were listed as:

• Substantial food and non-intoxicating beverages, including drinking water, to be available.
• All delivery orders to be to a registered residential or business address, with no deliveries to public/communal areas or open spaces.
• Staff members to be checked to ensure they have the right to work in the UK.
• The business will welcome recommendations given by the Local Authorities.

Relevant Representations

The licensing authority received two representations opposing the application. The concerns raised were summarised as follows:

• The proposal to permit the sale of alcohol outdoors on the street seven days a week would conflict with the licensing objectives and have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of local residents.
• Granting permission for alcohol to be sold and consumed on the street every day could increase the risk of disorder, as outdoor consumption tends to lead to greater levels of public intoxication, louder behaviour, and reduced control compared with an indoor environment.
• Outdoor drinking would place additional strain on policing and licensing resources, particularly in the later hours when supervision becomes more difficult and the potential for disturbance greater.
• Uncontrolled outdoor areas present hazards such as broken glass, spills, and individuals behaving unpredictably near roads or in low-light conditions.
• Sleep disturbance arising from patrons lingering, speaking loudly, gathering outside, and entering or leaving in noisy groups.

Copies of the representations were included in Appendix D - Objections. One representation included a photograph taken on a Wednesday evening which they claimed showed about 100 people outside the premises.

Other Information

The Public reports pack noted that three noise/nuisance complaints had been received in the preceding 24 months, details of which were attached as Appendix E -Complaints. In addition, the premises had been the subject of nine Temporary Event Notices¹ in the past year, a list of which was attached as Appendix F.

The Planning Team raised no objection to the application. The planning officer's comments were included as Appendix G.

Licensing Considerations

The report stated that in determining the application, the Committee must have regard to the representations and take such steps as it considers necessary for the promotion of the licensing objectives, which are:

• the prevention of crime and disorder
• the prevention of public nuisance
• public safety
• protection of children from harm

The Committee must also have regard to its own Statement of Licensing Policy and the Secretary of State's Guidance. The relevant paragraphs of the Secretary of State's Guidance and the authority's Statement of Licensing Policy were attached as Appendix H and I respectively.

The Public reports pack stated that if the Committee was minded to grant the variation, conditions may be attached to the licence to alleviate the concerns raised through representations.