Agenda item
Application for a New Premises Licence for Khushbu - 74 Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX
Minutes:
At the request of the Chair, Mr Andrew Heron, Licensing Officer, introduced the report which detailed the application for a new premises licence for Khushbu, 74 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX. It was noted that an objection had been made by the Metropolitan Police.
At the request of the Chair Mr Charles Chatterjee, Counsel for the Applicant stated that there may have been a misunderstanding as they were only applying for the provision of late night refreshments and not for the sale of alcohol.
He stated that there would be no negative cumulative impact in the area and this was a mere assumption made by the Police and there was no evidence to confirm this assumption. He explained that this premises was not in a residential area and there had been no representations from local residents. He further explained that there had been no incidents reported to the Police and CCTV cameras were installed and functional.
Mr Chatterjee stated that the applicant wanted late night refreshment hours for customers to enjoy soft drinks and quality food. He stated that there would be no takeaways, and no alcohol.
Members then heard from PC Alan Cruickshank, he agreed that there were no complaints from residents or police but this was because there was currently no licence. He stated that a Saturation Policy/ Cumulative Impact Policy was adopted due to the concerns about the number of licensed premises in such a small area and the resulting number of anti-social behaviour calls and the potential for disorder. It was also noted that one more late night opening venue would only compound the problems in the area as a 4am licence was extremely excessive.
PC Cruickshank concluded that the applicant was aware of the cumulative impact zone, however had noting in his application to promote the licensing objectives. PC Cruickshank stated that he was objecting to the late hours applied for and suggested that a midnight closing time on Friday and Saturday would be more appropriate.
In response to questions the following was noted;
- That the hours applied for were to mirror the previous premises licence.
- That there had been no complaints over the 7/8 years the premises had a licence.
- That the previous licence was till 5am.
- That the premise was approximately 100 meters from Brick Lane.
- That the applicant was happy to employ door staff to alleviate concerns.
- That the premises had CCTV cameras installed.
- That granting a licence till 4am would set a precedent for other premises in the area.
- That there had been no incidents of crime and disorder associated with the premises.
Members retired to consider their decision at 4.00pm and reconvened at 4.05pm.
The Licensing Objectives
In considering the application, Members were required to consider the same in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended), the Licensing Objectives, the Home Office Guidance and the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy.
Consideration
Each application must be considered on its own merits and after careful consideration the Chair stated that the Sub Committee had carefully listened to the Applicant’s representative and PC Alan Cruickshank and decided to grant the application with a reduction in hours and CCTV conditions. Members believed that reduced hours and conditions imposed would alleviate the concerns raised by the Metropolitan Police and help promote the licensing objectives.
Decision
Accordingly, the Sub-Committee unanimously –
RESOLVED
That the application for a New Premises Licence for, Khushbu, 74 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX be GRANTED with conditions.
The Provision for Late Night Refreshments
- Friday and Saturday, 23.00 hours to 02.00 hours (the following day)
Hours premises are open to the public:
- Sunday to Thursday, from 11.00 hours to 23.00 hours
- Friday and Saturday from 11.00 hours to 02.00 hours (the following day)
Conditions
- CCTV camera system is to be installed.
- The CCTV system shall incorporate a recording facility and recordings shall be retained and stored in a suitable and secure manner for a minimum of 31 days. A system shall be in place to maintain the quality of the recorded image and a complete audit trail maintained. The system will comply with other essential legislation, and all signs as required will be clearly displayed. The system will be maintainedand fully operational throughout the hours that the premises are open for any licensable activity. There must also be someone on the premises, who can downlad the images and present them on request by a police officer ot other responsible authority.
(one camera be placed outside the entrance and one on entry to the premise)
- No takeaway orders during the late night refreshment hours.
Supporting documents:
- Khushbu cover report, item 4.3 PDF 84 KB
- Khushbu Appendices Only, item 4.3 PDF 4 MB
- Khushbu Supporting Documents, item 4.3 PDF 183 KB