The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to consider a review application for a premises licence. The meeting's agenda included procedural guidance and a detailed review of the licence held by AAK Superstore.

Review Application for AAK Superstore

The committee was scheduled to consider an application to review the premises licence for AAK Superstore, located at 13 Dudley Road, Southall, Middlesex, UB2 5AS. This application was made by Ealing Council's Licensing Enforcement and Compliance team.

The report pack indicated that the licensable activities authorised by the current licence include the retail sale of alcohol for off-supplies, with premises opening hours from Monday to Saturday between 08:00 and 23:00, and on Sundays from 10:00 to 22:30. A variation of the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) application had been received to change the DPS from Rajinder Bhatia to Akritta Kaur Bhatia.

The report detailed that the Licensing Authority was required to notify various Responsible Authorities, including the Police Authority, Pollution Authority, Fire Authority, Local Planning Authority, Health & Safety Authority, Child Protection Authority, Weights & Measures Authority, Director of Public Health, and the Home Office (Immigration Enforcement). The deadline for representations was 23 March 2026, and no representations were received.

The report outlined Ealing Council's Statement of Licensing Policy, which guides decisions on licensing objectives. It also drew attention to policies applicable to different types of licensed premises, the imposition of licensing conditions, and core hours for licensable activities. The report also referenced the legal implications under the Licensing Act 2003, the Human Rights Act 1998, and relevant background documents including the Licensing Act 2003, Guidance issued under s182 of the Licensing Act 2003, Ealing's Statement of Licensing Policy (July 2025), and the Immigration Act 2016.

The grounds for the review application, as detailed in the statement by Licensing Compliance & Enforcement Officer Robert Dear, stemmed from previous issues at the premises. These included the discovery of illicit tobacco products on three separate occasions, leading to a previous review hearing on 18 October 2023. At that hearing, the sub-committee had decided to suspend the licence for three months, require Ms Akritta Bhatia to complete DPS training, mandate training for all employees, and stipulate that Mr Kulwant Singh Bhatia have no involvement in the management or operation of the business.

Further concerns raised in the report included an incident on 28 October 2025, where a male found behind the counter was unable to produce a personal licence, breaching a condition of the premises licence. This individual's immigration status card had expired, and he stated he was awaiting a new one. A subsequent joint visit with Immigration Enforcement on 29 November 2025 resulted in the detention of a male who was working at the premises without the right to do so. During this visit, the Premises Licence Holder, Ms Bhatia, stated she had the male's passport at home, and her daughter, Akritta Bhatia, provided a provisional driving licence. Mr Kulwant Singh Bhatia also contacted the shop and claimed he was legally entitled to work. The report noted that Ms Akritta Bhatia had not varied the licence to reflect her as the DPS, and Mr Bhatia had not ceased his involvement in the business, contrary to the conditions imposed in October 2023.

The committee was asked to consider the application to review the Premises Licence, representations, and the Statement of Licensing Policy, and to decide whether to:

• Modify the conditions of the licence.
• Exclude a licensable activity from the licence.
• Suspend the licence for a period not exceeding three months.
• Revoke the licence.
• Remove the designated premises supervisor.
• Leave the licence as it is.