Agenda item

The licensing officer reported that a petition had been received in support of the application.  The applicant had stated that he would amend the hour for sale of alcohol to 8am from 6am but the authority had not received this notification in writing.

The licensing authority reported that they were particularly concerned with the early start time and the impact on street drinkers, these hours were outside core policy hours and the applicant had not demonstrated how he could operate in the cumulative impact area.  The applicant would need to demonstrate how he would not add to the problems in the area and how he would operate after 11pm.

The police reported that 33% of crimes in the area took place after 11pm. They accepted that there were premises that were already in the area but they had seen nothing in the application about how the applicant would address the issues of cumulative impact in the area.

The licensee reported that 100 people had signed a petition in support of his application.  The offences that took place after 11pm were not alcohol related offences.  He had CCTV and supplied it straight away when required.  He had passed underage tests.

In response to questions the applicant stated he had a refusal book and did not sell to underage or drunk people.  He did not think that the sale of alcohol had an impact on the problems in Seven Sisters Road.  He did not think that opening later would cause further problems.

The police asked if he could bring back the hours for the sale of alcohol to 11pm and the applicant stated that he would not be agreeable to doing that as it would create problems.  There were 24 hour premises nearby.

RESOLVED

That the application for a premises licence variation, in respect of B & D Seven Sisters Road, N4 2DA, be refused.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The Licensing Sub-Committee considered the application papers, the written submissions and the oral submission from the applicant, the Licensing Authority and the Metropolitan Police.

The application was for a variation of an existing off premises licence to 6am until 1am the following day and for the opening hours to be the same. The applicant stated that if the sale of alcohol licence was not extended to the added hours, he would not require the opening hours to be extended as this would cause him potential danger from customers who would require him to sell them alcohol.

The premises are within the Finsbury Park Cumulative Impact Area.

The Licensing Authority was concerned primarily about the earlier opening hours and stated that this was when street drinkers would purchase alcohol. The Police were concerned that the extended later hours would exacerbate an already dangerous situation in that area.

The Licensing Sub-Committee was of the opinion that the applicant failed both in his application and in his submissions at the hearing to adequately address the cumulative impact issue and did not demonstrate why the operation of the premises with the extended hours would not add to the cumulative impact or otherwise impact adversely on the promotion of the licensing objectives.

The application for the variation was accordingly refused.