Agenda and draft minutes

Councillor Tony Owen was appointed Chairman for the meeting.

No declarations of interest.

The application:

The premises is a restaurant on the ground floor of a three storey building with residential accommodation above. The application sought to vary the current premises licence by extending the licensed hours for the sale of alcohol on and off the premises and to add the performance of live music, the playing of recorded music and the provision of late night refreshment.

After discussions with the police, the following times for live music, recorded music, supply of alcohol and late night refreshment was applied for, namely Sunday -Thursday 08.00-00.00 hours, Friday and Saturday 08.00 – 02.00 hours with a seasonal variation for New Years Eve 08.00 – 03.00 hours. The committee was advised that last orders for alcohol and food on a Friday and Saturday night were 01.30 hours.

The case for the applicant:

The restaurant serves mainly African cuisine to customers both nearby and from further away, including Sidcup, Bexley, Dagenham and Enfield. The licence was transferred to the current business in October 2023. Since opening, a trend has been observed that many customers come in later. The business wished to accommodate those customers with revised hours.

Since opening, the business has applied for and traded to later hours under TENS. (Temporary Event Notice). When trading under the TENS, a DJ is employed but the sound is transmitted through a house system. The DJ is engaged to provide the choice of music requested by customers. The business was aware that residents from the maisonettes above had concerns regarding the level of noise and had sought to address their concerns. Sound insulation had been installed for a ten metre distance from the front of the premises. Double doors had also been installed. The loudspeakers had also been repositioned to reduce the transmission of sound, both through the air and by vibration. When using TENS, the music had been played softly. After completion of the works, the business had not received complaints which was an indicator of their efficacy. Although a complaint was received during the last TENS, the works were still in progress.

The business was aware of the planning condition providing that the business shall not operate before 07.00 and 23.00 hours Monday to Saturday and not before 10.00 and 22.00 hours on Sundays and Bank Holidays. On 24^th March 2024, an application to vary the condition was submitted on the planning portal. The application had not yet been acknowledged by the Planning Department.

The application indicated that it’s intention was not to make residents lives any worse. It was willing to take extra steps required by the Council. For the business to thrive, needed an extension of hours.

The case for the objectors

In addition to the written representations the Sub-Committee also received verbal representations.

The Noise Nuisance Officer advised the business that a complaint had been received and local residents had been provided with log sheets to record any noise. These had not yet been returned and therefore a formal investigation had not been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.