Hackney's Licensing Sub Committee D convened on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, to consider a premises licence variation for Sun Cafe, located at 261 Mare Street, London. The application, submitted by Huseyin Ulus, seeks to extend the cafe's hours for late-night refreshment and the supply of alcohol, but has met with resistance from the Metropolitan Police and the Licensing Authority.
The proposed variation would allow Sun Cafe to serve late night refreshments and alcohol until 02:00 from Sunday to Wednesday, and until 03:00 from Thursday to Saturday. Currently, the licence permits these activities only until 23:30 each day. According to the Public Reports Pack, the applicant did not propose any additional measures to address the licensing objectives.
The Metropolitan Police submitted a representation against the variation, citing concerns that the conditions on the current licence are not sufficient to promote the licensing objectives whilst operating at the later hours as requested
. The police requested a robust set of conditions, including CCTV, an incident log, and adherence to the Challenge 25 policy. They also suggested that alcohol sales should cease 30 minutes before closing time.
The Licensing Authority also raised concerns about the extension of hours beyond those outlined in the council's licensing policy, specifically LP3 Core Hours. The Licensing Authority stated that the extended hours are in excess of the LP3 Core Hours set out in the Council's licensing policy
and that the premises' proximity to residential flats meant that operation until the hours sought may undermine the promotion of the licensing objectives. The Licensing Authority also requested evidence of the premises' current planning status, in accordance with LP5 Planning Status[1].
The Licensing Sub Committee D also considered other applications at the meeting, including a new premises licence application for Brim Burgers Dalston Ltd, and a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) for Kingsland Nursery. These matters will be covered in separate reports.
Brim Burgers Dalston Ltd applied for a new premises licence for its location at 517 Kingsland Road. The application sought authorisation for late night refreshment indoors from 23:00 to 02:00, Mondays through Sundays. The Environmental Health Authority (Environmental Protection) and the Licensing Authority submitted representations against the application, both citing concerns about the prevention of public nuisance. The Licensing Authority also requested evidence of the premises' current planning status, in accordance with LP5 Planning Status, and a delivery management plan.
[1] LP5 Planning Status states that Licence applications should normally be from premises where: (a) The activity to be authorised by the licence is a lawful planning use or is a deemed permitted development pursuant to the General Permitted Development Order (1995) as amended. (b) The hours sought do not exceed those authorised by any planning permission.
