The Licensing Sub-Committee of Lambeth Council met on Wednesday 25 March 2026 to consider a new premises licence application for AA Plus London at 98-100 Knights Hill, West Norwood. The committee decided to grant the licence with modified hours and conditions, including the refusal of one proposed condition.

New Premises Licence for AA Plus London, 98-100 Knights Hill

The committee granted a new premises licence to AA Plus London for the sale of alcohol at 98-100 Knights Hill, West Norwood. The licence will permit the sale of alcohol and for the premises to be open to the public from 06:00 to 01:00, Monday to Sunday.

The decision was made to grant the application with the majority of the proposed conditions from the Licensing Authority attached to the licence, as detailed in Annex B of the reports pack. However, the committee decided to exclude proposed condition 15, which stipulated that Any cans or bottles of ales, beers, lagers, cider or similar will be sold in a minimum of four. All other proposed conditions were insisted upon.

During the meeting, the applicant's agent, Mr. Naga Rajesh, explained that the premises, which were previously two separate licensed venues, had undergone significant investment and reconstruction to merge them into a single unit. He argued that the requested extended hours were crucial for the business's survival and that the applicant was willing to accept all 22 proposed conditions for the extended hours beyond 23:00.

The Licensing Authority, represented by Ms. Pamela Riley, had initially objected to the proposed hours, stating that the requested 01:00 terminal hour fell outside the council's licensing policy for residential areas, which recommends 23:00. Ms. Riley argued that extending the hours would risk undermining the licensing objectives of preventing public nuisance and public safety. The Licensing Authority also raised concerns about specific conditions, namely 14 (no beers, ales, lagers or ciders of 6% ABV or above), 15 (minimum sale of four cans/bottles), and 18 (no sales of miniature bottles of spirits of 50ml or less). Mr. Rajesh argued against these specific conditions, stating they would negatively impact his existing customer base of local residents who were not problematic.

Councillor Linda Bray expressed concern about excluding conditions 14, 15, and 18, noting their common use in preventing street drinking and associated issues. Councillor Emma Nye, the ward councillor, also sought clarification on how the applicant would prevent nuisance and disorder.

The London Fire Brigade had initially submitted a representation regarding concerns about the submitted plans and the placement of safety equipment. However, this representation was withdrawn before the hearing, as the issues had been resolved.

The committee ultimately decided to grant the licence with the modified hours and conditions, finding that these terms would promote all of the licensing objectives. The applicant was informed that they would receive written notification of the decision within five working days.