Agenda, decisions and minutes
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Contact: Farhana Zia, Senior Democratic Services Officer Tel: 020 7364 0842, E-mail: farhana.zia@towerhamlets.gov.uk
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST PDF 214 KB Members are reminded to consider the categories of interest, identified in the Code of Conduct for Members to determine: whether they have an interest in any agenda item and any action they should take. For further details, see the attached note from the Monitoring Officer.
Members are also reminded to declare the nature of the interest at the earliest opportunity and the agenda item it relates to. Please note that ultimately it is the Members’ responsibility to identify any interests and also update their register of interest form as required by the Code.
If in doubt as to the nature of an interest, you are advised to seek advice prior the meeting by contacting the Monitoring Officer or Democratic Services. Additional documents: Minutes: No declarations of pecuniary interests were declared by Members.
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To note the rules of procedure which are attached for information. Additional documents: Minutes: The rules of procedure were noted by the members.
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING(S) PDF 325 KB To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Licensing Sub-Committee held on 12th January 2021.
Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting held on the 12th January 2021 were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting.
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ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION Additional documents: |
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Additional documents: Minutes: At the request of the Chair, Ms Kathy Driver, Principal Licensing Officer, introduced the report which detailed the application for a new premises licence for Hackney Essentials, 146 Columbia Road, London E2 7RG. It was noted that objections had been received from local residents. The Applicant Mr [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023], supported by his wife Ms [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023], explained the business was offering niche products, such as vegan produce, candles, ceramic crafts, and handmade items alongside groceries and was looking to expand its range of products to include the sale of alcohol. The Applicant informed the Sub-Committee they had been advised to apply for a 23:00 hours closing time however they had no intention of operating until 23:00 hours. Ms [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] explained the history of the shop and said they took over the premises from a friend who was struggling to pay the rent. They had over the summer months established themselves as a business, selling fine foods and handicrafts as well as groceries. They had built up their customer base, which was mainly local residents and had given employment to four local people who had lost their jobs because of the pandemic. Ms [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] added they were an all-female team, except for Mr [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] and had several letters of support from local customers. Ms [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] said they were seeking a licence so they could sell carefully selected alcohol brands from local producers and start-ups based in East London. She said the alcohol would complement the existing range of goods sold. Ms [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] emphasised they were not looking to be open late or operate as a standard off-licence. Mr [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] said they were a community-based business who wanted to make a positive contribution to the area. He said they had offered deliveries to local customers during the lockdowns, which were greatly appreciated and now wanted to make the business more viable with the sale of niche alcohol products. Mr [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] said the footfall for the business was an average of 50 to 60 customers per day. In respect to the concerns raised by the objectors, Mr [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] and Ms [Name redacted at the request of the individual March 2023] said they hoped these were allayed, as the business had no intention of opening late. They empathised with the concerns raised about street drinking and public nuisance however they believed the type of customer and alcohol they would be selling would not contribute to this behaviour. Members then heard for Mr ... view the full minutes text for item 4.1 |
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Additional documents:
Minutes: At the request of the Chair, Ms Kathy Driver, Principal Licensing Officer, introduced the report which detailed the application for variation of a premises licence for Funk, 142 Columbia Road, London E2 7RG. It was noted that an objection had been received from a local resident.
The Applicant’s Legal Representative, Mr Andrew Woods, and the Applicant, Mr Mathew Carver, explained why a variation of the licence was being sought. Mr Woods said the application was seeking an extension to the existing licence to 21:00 hours Monday to Saturday and 19:00 hours for Sunday with the removal of non-standard timings on the licence. Mr Woods said Mr Carver had taken over the premises in October 2020 and was a leading cheese specialist selling exclusively produced artisan cheeses with an offer of wine and beer. Mr Woods stated the Applicant had, between 12th November 2020 to 20th February 2021, applied for Temporary Event Notices (TENs), and had successfully operated until 21:00 hours with no issues or complaints from residents.
Mr Woods said the objection from Mr Crozier was of a general nature and did not relate specifically to the premises. He said they had written to Mr Crozier, but had not received a response. Mr Woods said no representations had been made by the responsible authorities. He referred to the supplementary agenda and said Mr Carver owned several similar cheese outlets in London and referred to the product list and said he hoped this would give the Sub-Committee an idea of the nature of the shop and what it sells.
Mr Carver added that due to the pandemic, his restaurant business had closed and therefore he wanted to keep the supply chain going to support small scale producers. He said his company was based in Hackney Wick and he’d been looking for some time to find a shop in east London to trade from. He said he had run a delivery service throughout the lockdown and found there was great demand for his produce, especially in this locality. He said the current closing times did not make the business viable and many local people were disappointed with the closure time of 19:00 hours. He said through the TEN’s he received positive feedback from customers who wanted the shop to stay open until later.
Mr Crozier, the Objector was not in attendance at the meeting. The Chair read out Mr Crozier objection and the concerns cited relating to public nuisance and the number of licenced premises in the area changing the character of the street.
In response to questions the following was noted:
1. Mr Woods confirmed that the premises was not a bar, as referred to in the objector’s representation. There was no recorded music or any other licensable activity at the premises. The premises is small and unlike a supermarket, people come specifically to buy cheese, wine and/or beer. Precautions such as Challenge 25, regular training of staff and CCTV were in place to ensure the licensing objectives were ... view the full minutes text for item 4.2 |
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EXTENSION OF DECISION DEADLINE: LICENSING ACT 2003 The Sub Committee may be requested to extend the decision deadline for applications to be considered at forthcoming meetings due to the volume of applications requiring a hearing. Where necessary, details will be provided at the meeting.
Additional documents: Minutes: Members agreed to extend the decision deadlines for the applications below to the 31st July 2021. Licensing applications were extended due to the impact of the pandemic, and were adjourned under regulation 11 of the Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005, it was in the public interest to do so, and did not require representation from parties to the applications.
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