Agenda and minutes

The Democratic Services Officer opened the meeting highlighting that, as the Chairman of the Licensing Committee was unable to Chair the Licensing Sub-Committee Hearing, the Sub-Committee would be required to elect a Chairman for the meeting.

It was proposed that Councillor Darran Davies assume the position of Chairman for the hearing. This was seconded and agreed.

There were no apologies for absence.

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.

It was highlighted that the applicant had submitted additional information to support their application on the previous working day to the hearing. The Sub-Committee moved to adjourn the hearing for a brief time whilst Members read and digested the additional information received. The Sub-Committee adjourned at 2.04PM and reconvened at 2.29PM.

INTRODUCTION

Steven Dormer, Licensing Officer, introduced the application for a new premises licence at the Prince of Wales, 1 Harlington Road, Hillingdon, UB8 3HX. Officers gave an overview of the application received and briefly summarised the representations received from responsible authorities and interested parties during the consultation period. The Sub-Committee were invited to determine the application.

THE APPLICANT

Jeremy Phillips KC, the applicant’s representative, gave an overview of the application for the Sub-Committee noting that there was understanding that previous management at the premises had failed to uphold the licensing objectives and it was appropriate that the licence was revoked. It was highlighted that the new management was completely removed from the previous management structure. The Sub-Committee heard the reasons why the applicant was taking over the business and it was noted that food would remain the primary driving factor of the business, however, as with most establishments, customers would expect to have the ability to consume alcohol with their meal.

The Applicant, Sheraz Sheikh Ahmed, was also present and stated that he would be happy with a condition to have the previous DPS, Mr Mohamed Hussain Abouzeid, removed from any aspect of the operational management of the premises. It was also confirmed that the Applicant had the intention of starting as leaseholder to the premises and would seek to eventually become the freeholder. The Sub-Committee noted that the previous DPS was still currently the licence holder for the HMO directly above the premises, which was used to house some of the restaurant staff.

RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITIES

Daniel Ferrer, Licensing Team Manager, addressed the Sub-Committee on behalf of the Licensing Authority highlighting that, although the Licensing Authority appreciated that this was a new application, there remained concerns over the historic mismanagement of the premises and the links between the old management, A M Property & Development Ltd, and the new management, Game Measure Ltd; for example that both companies shared the same business address.

It was also highlighted that officers attended the premises in January 2023 and there were still concerns that the nature of the premises would not change, alluding to previous issues regarding underage drinking and violence. The Sub-Committee also heard that, even though there were no licensable activities taking place at the premises since its recent reopening, the Licensing Authority had still received complaints from residents, primarily relating to noise emanating from the premises and the disposal of bottles at unsociable hours.

Adam Stitson, Anti-Social Behaviour Team Leader, addressed the Sub-Committee on behalf of the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team noting that officers were grateful that the Applicant had already agreed to accept the ASB Team’s proposed conditions. Officers notified the Sub-Committee of a recent visit conducted by the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.