Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Shehryar Ahmad- Wallana.

There were no declarations of interest.

It was confirmed that all items of business were marked Part I and would be considered in public.

None.

Introduction by Licensing Officer

Austen Young, Licensing Officer at the London Borough of Hillingdon, introduced the report. The Sub-Committee was requested to consider an application for a new Temporary Street Trading Shop Front licence in respect of Europa Furniture, 77 Victoria Road, Ruislip, HA4 9BH. It was noted that the application was for a Shop Front Display rather than a Street Trading Pitch as indicated in error at paragraph 1.0 on page 3 of the agenda pack. It was confirmed that the applicant wished to display items such as mattresses, single divan boxes, runners, chests of drawers, and coat stands outside the premises.

The Sub-Committee was informed that two representations had been received highlighting concerns in respect of the application: one from Ward Cllr Susan O’Brien and the other from the Council’s Street Scene Enforcement Team (SSET). It was confirmed that SSET could not attend the meeting but had provided a written summary of their comments which would be read out by Democratic Services for the consideration of the Panel. 

The Sub-Committee heard that attempts had been made to reach an agreement, but this had not been possible hence the need for the matter to be considered by the Licensing Sub-Committee.

It was confirmed that the Street Trading Policy outlined possible grounds for refusing an application and factors to consider when determining an application. It was noted that no mandatory reasons for refusal had been identified.

The Sub-Committee was invited to determine the application accordingly.

In response to questions from Members, the Licensing Officer confirmed that the proposed trading hours of the premises were 09:00 – 20:00 hours Monday to Sunday. Outside of these hours the pavement would be kept clear.

The Chair noted that she had visited the premises and had spoken to the assistant – Mr Naser Mohammed. She confirmed that the goods displayed within the shop were a good representation of those the applicant proposed to display outside.

In response to further questions from the Sub-Committee, it was confirmed that the applicant had applied for a Temporary Street Trading Shop Front Licence which could be granted for a maximum period of 6 months. The proposed trading area was to extend 2 metres from the front of the premises

Representations by the Applicant

The Applicant – Mr Mohammed Mudasir Naseri – addressed the Sub-Committee. Members were advised that Mr Naseri had been operating his business in Ruislip Manor for approximately 4 months. It had been a very challenging time as the area was not very busy hence his business was only just breaking even.

The Sub-Committee heard that Mr Naseri had applied for a street trading licence to enable him to display his goods to the front of the shop and had hoped that this would attract more customers. He referenced the objection raised in relation to the display of mattresses which it was alleged could resemble fly-tipping. In response to this, Mr Naseri informed the Committee that he only planned to display 2 or 3 mattresses to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 80.