Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

It was agreed that all items were marked Part I and would therefore be considered in public.

None.

Introduction by the Licensing Officer

Mr Mark McDermott, Licensing Officer at the London Borough of Hillingdon, introduced the report relating to an application for a new premises licence at Eastcote Karahi, 105 Field End Road, Eastcote, HA5 1QG, from Mr Naveen Sagar.

The Sub-Committee was informed that the application submitted was for a licence to sell alcohol from 12:00 to 24:00 hours from Sunday to Thursday, and 12:00 to 01:00 on Friday and Saturday, and offer late night refreshments from 23:00 to 24:00 from Sunday to Thursday, and 23:00 to 01:00 on Friday and Saturday.

Mr McDermott noted that a previous licence at the premises had been surrendered, and although the applicant had made an effort to allay the concerns of local residents, it was recommended that the licence be granted with a reduction of the terminal hour for late night refreshment, the sale of alcohol, and opening hours, to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Representation by the Applicant

Mr Naveen Sagar addressed the Committee and noted that the application was for a restaurant, and that he was conscious of the concerns of local residents, and had tried his utmost to satisfy these concerns, but this had to be balanced along with running a business.

Members heard that Mr Sagar did apply for a music element in his application, but has withdrawn this request following concerns from local residents, and while the application requested terminal hours at 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, Mr Sagar confirmed that he was willing to change this to 12:30.

The Committee was informed that the property previously ran as an Italian restaurant, and when purchased, the site was run down and in need of refurbishment. Mr Sagar noted that he had added soundproofing to the property, and installed silencers on the fan and canopy to ensure they were quieter and cause disturbances for local residents.

Mr Sagar stated that the proposed opening hours were consistent with neighbouring businesses, with most closing at 24:00 and the Ascott closing at 01:00 on Friday and Saturday. Furthermore, there was a high turnover of businesses in the area, and Mr Sagar had invested heavily in the premises, while also owning a licenced premises across the road, and requested some leeway to ensure he can run a successful business.

Responding to questioning from the Sub-Committee, Mr Sagar explained he had previously run an off-licence, and confirmed that he understood “Challenge 25” guidelines, and would implement this on his premises.

The Sub-Committee asked how the applicant would achieve the lincensing objective of preventing public nuisance, particularly when customers leave the premises, and Mr Sagar noted that he would restrict activities outside the premises and make staff aware of the issues associated with customers making noise outside the premises late at night. Members were informed that, while it is difficult to control what people may do as they walk down the road outside the property, staff at the premises would be trained to control nuisance at the premises, signs would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.