A café bar on Richmond Road has been granted a late licence to sell alcohol and provide entertainment until midnight, despite concerns from residents about noise and potential public nuisance.
Serve Bar and Café, located at 78 Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames, received approval from the Licensing Sub-Committee on Tuesday 20 October 2026. The licence allows for the sale of alcohol for both on and off-premises consumption, as well as regulated entertainment and late-night refreshments until midnight daily.
During the hearing, the applicant's agent, Moslem Shekoohi, clarified that the establishment is intended to be a small, family-friendly café bar with a capacity of approximately 25 customers, rather than a nightclub. He assured the committee that alcohol sales would be secondary to the café's main business, with Alcohol will be ancillary to the main café business. Our main business is serving coffee, breakfast, lunch, cakes, food, and other drinks throughout the day.
The premises has a maximum capacity of approximately 25 seated customers.
The licence permits 'regulated entertainment', which the applicant defined as live music and recorded music
from 8 am to midnight daily. Mr Shekoohi specified that live music would be occasional, small-scale events suitable for a premises with only approximately 25 seats,
such as for birthday parties, and would involve a small live performance or DJ for a limited period, possibly around one hour.
Recorded music would be quiet background music inside the café.
However, representations from local residents raised concerns about potential noise disturbances from music and customers, particularly during the proposed late hours, and the cumulative impact on the residential area. One resident, Denise Janum, specifically requested conditions to ensure music was not audible outside after 11 pm and that staff monitored the exterior from 11 pm until closing.
The applicant stated that Any music or sound inside the café will be kept at a normal, reasonable, and acceptable level and will not be loud enough to cause annoyance or disturbance to our neighbours.
They also committed to keeping doors and windows appropriately managed during any music or private event to minimise noise breakout.
In response to the resident's request, the applicant reiterated that Any music or sound inside the café will be kept at a normal, reasonable, and acceptable level and will not be loud enough to cause annoyance or disturbance to our neighbours.
and During any occasional music event, the doors and windows will be kept closed and the sound level will be carefully controlled to avoid disturbance to neighbouring homes.
The committee heard that the Metropolitan Police had initially raised concerns about crime and disorder but withdrew their representation following mediation and amendments to the applicant's operating schedule. Mr Shekoohi stated that he addressed many of the questions and concerns raised in the representations
during a meeting with the Metropolitan Police Licensing Officer. The applicant also provided a written response to residents' concerns, which included assurances about operating hours, CCTV, customer supervision, music control, and waste management. Crucially, the applicant agreed to a condition that The premises will be used primarily as a café/restaurant.
Staff will receive induction and refresher training on the premises licence, age verification, refusals, incident reporting and responsible alcohol sales. To manage noise and customer dispersal, staff will be trained in Asking customers to leave quietly and not congregate outside the premises,
and Staff monitoring the area outside the premises, particularly towards closing time.
Additionally, bottles, glass and waste will be handled in a way that avoids unnecessary late-night noise.
To ensure the family-friendly
atmosphere is maintained, the applicant stressed that Serve Bar & Café is intended to be a small, family-friendly café bar, not a nightclub or late-night entertainment venue.
They also committed to Customers will be supervised appropriately, and they will be asked to leave the premises quietly and respectfully. We will not permit groups to remain outside and cause noise, disturbance or antisocial behaviour.
Music will be kept at a normal, reasonable, and acceptable level
to avoid disturbance.
Despite the residents' concerns, the committee ultimately granted the licence. The applicant committed to various measures to mitigate potential issues, including CCTV, a Challenge 25 policy, and staff training. The external seating area will close at 10 pm daily, and there will be no customer access to the rear mews area.
The decision to grant the licence was made after deliberation by the Licensing Sub-Committee, which considered the representations received and the applicant's proposed operating schedule. Further details can be found in the Public reports pack for the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting.