Tower Hamlets Licensing Sub Committee has heard objections from the police and Trading Standards regarding an application for a new premises licence for Vertus.
Vertus Application Faces Police, Standards Concerns
The Licensing Sub Committee met on Thursday to consider an application for a new premises licence for Vertus, located at 50-60 Charter Street, London E22 3AS. According to the applicant, the premises is a development site to open in due course. The application sought permission for the sale of alcohol 24 hours a day to residents, as well as late night refreshment and regulated entertainment.
However, representations from Trading Standards and the Police raised significant concerns. Trading Standards worried about protecting children from harm with 24-hour alcohol sales, questioning how the Challenge 25 policy would be implemented without staff present. Challenge 25 is a retailing strategy that encourages anyone who is over 18 but looks under 25 to carry acceptable ID when buying alcohol. Trading Standards is concerned about its implementation because they questioned how the policy would be implemented 24 hours a day if there were no staff present to challenge purchasers beyond normal licensing hours.
The Police stated that the conditions proposed by the applicant were not adequate to safely promote the licensing objectives. Vertus proposed several conditions, including limiting licensable activity to residents and their guests, maintaining a guest book, installing and maintaining a CCTV system. The police deemed these conditions inadequate because they raised concerns about the lack of CCTV monitoring, the self-service style system for alcohol service, and the potential for a large number of people to have access to the licensed area.
The Police also stated that they had visited another Vertus property at 15 West Street and found that a large number of the conditions either weren't being applied, could not be achieved and were not enforceable to promote the licensing objectives.
Public Reports Pack, Supplemental Agenda 1, and Supplemental Agenda 2 contain more information about the application.
