Agenda and minutes

All Members were present.

None.

It was confirmed that all items would be considered in public.

None.

INTRODUCTION

Jhini Mukherjee, Licensing Officer, introduced the application for the grant of a new premises licence for a private residence in respect of Hey Bartender Ltd, 71 Pembroke Road, Ruislip, HA4 8NQ. Members were informed that the site was in a residential area at the junction of Pembroke Road and Green Walk.

It was noted that the growth in e-commerce since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic had contributed significantly to the use of third party delivery services providing food and drink deliveries. The Licensing Officer highlighted that the application before Members was for a dedicated delivery service from a private residence which offered no public access to the premises at any time, the site was proposed to be a storage and dispatch site. The applied for hours of licensable activities were Sunday to Thursday 12.00 – 00.00 and Friday to Saturday 12.00 – 02.00.

The Sub-Committee noted a total of 11 representations which had been received; one from the Licensing Authority, one on behalf of the three Manor Ward Councillors, and nine representations from interested parties, most of whom were neighbours to the site.

It was highlighted that the officer’s recommendation was to grant the licence with the additional conditions set out in the Licensing Authority’s representation, shown as Appendix 2 to the officer’s report, in order to uphold the licensing objectives.

For clarification purposes and with regard to the prevention of public nuisance, it was confirmed that incidents of public nuisance could take place at any time of day, however it was noted that during unsociable hours, there was a lower threshold for what was considered a public nuisance.

THE APPLICANT

Harpreet Dhand addressed the Sub-Committee as the applicant for the licence. By way of introduction, he informed the Sub-Committee that he was an established food and beverage consultant specialising in spirits, wines and cocktail training; he also outlined the core aspects of the Hey Bartender business. It was noted that before the Covid-19 pandemic, the applicant was regularly working in restaurants and bars delivering cocktail making masterclasses to patrons. Since the onset of the pandemic, the business model had changed and he was now required to train restaurant and bar staff through video call platforms whilst all participants were at home. Further to this, there was a demand for cocktail making masterclasses to be delivered via video call platforms during the Covid-19 lockdowns. This demand had been met thus far by giving the customer a shopping list of ingredients required for the virtual cocktail masterclass that they would buy themselves; the idea behind the application in front of Members was that the applicant could deliver the ingredients and equipment required, such as fruit, juices, cocktail shakers and stirrers, and miniature alcohol bottles, directly to customers in a hamper, simplifying the customer experience ahead of the virtual masterclass being held.

The applicant accepted that, without a thorough explanation of what the business does, the licensing application would appear to be an alcohol delivery service operating late into the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.