A shop in Kingsbury, London, faces a licence review after being issued a closure order by Brent Magistrates Court. The review report states that The premises has a record of illegal activities and poses a significant risk to the local community.
The Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee of Brent Council convened on Monday 14 July 2025 to discuss the premises licence of Essentials, located at 383 Church Lane, NW9 8JB. The review was triggered by a closure order obtained by the Metropolitan Police under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
The closure order, effective from 2 July 2025 to 1 October 2025, prohibits access to the premises for all persons except emergency services, Brent Council staff, utility services, and Royal Mail/delivery services.
The Metropolitan Police's application for review cites the prevention of crime and disorder, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm as the grounds for the review. The police submitted representations to the sub-committee to support their application for the licence review. However, these representations are classified as exempt under Paragraph 7 of Part 1 Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, namely: Information relating to any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime
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Essentials is licensed to sell alcohol from 9:30am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and until 10:30pm on Sunday. Mr Mahesh Hamraj Shah is the designated premises supervisor (DPS).
The sub-committee has several options available, including modifying the licence conditions, removing licensable activities, removing the DPS, suspending the licence for up to three months, or revoking the licence altogether. If the committee decides that additional measures are required to satisfy the four licensing objectives, they have several options available to them.
The agenda for the meeting indicated that the sub-committee would consider excluding the press and public while discussing representations from the police, due to the inclusion of exempt information related to the prevention, investigation, or prosecution of crime.
The public reports pack details the existing conditions of the premises licence, including mandatory conditions such as age verification policies, minimum alcohol pricing, and the requirement for a DPS and personal licence holders to authorise alcohol sales.
Additional conditions attached after a previous hearing mandate CCTV coverage of the entrance, till, serving counter, and store room entrance. A staff member trained in CCTV operation must be present during opening hours, and a Challenge 25
policy must be enforced. The licence summary must be visible from outside each entrance, and staff must undergo regular training, with documented training logs maintained. An incident log must also be kept to record crimes, complaints, incidents of disorder, CCTV faults, refusals of alcohol sales, and visits by authorities or emergency services.
