Plans to sell alcohol at 359 Portobello Road during the Notting Hill Carnival have been stymied due to concerns about public safety and congestion. The premises has a maximum capacity of 12 people.
The Kensington and Chelsea Licensing Sub-Committee considered a temporary event notice (TEN) submitted by Mr William Rogerson for the sale of alcohol off the premises during the Carnival on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August 2025. However, objections from the Metropolitan Police and the council’s Noise and Nuisance Team led to the proposal being reconsidered.
PC Jinelle Caldinez, representing the Metropolitan Police, raised concerns about the lack of co-ordination with official event planning and the potential for increased crime and disorder. PC Caldinez highlights that the proposed alcohol sales at 359 Portobello Road during Notting Hill Carnival are not coordinated with the official event planning and raise serious safety concerns,
according to documents from the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting. The premises is in close proximity to sound systems and crowd activity. The Police are particularly concerned that the sale of alcohol from this location could encourage people to congregate, disrupt crowd flow, and create bottlenecks that pose significant risks to public safety.
The police objection also pointed out the absence of a risk assessment, event management plan, and details on how alcohol sales would be controlled. They also raised concerns that the activity may amount to unauthorised street trading, as alcohol could be sold onto the public highway, contrary to local policy. The Public Reports Pack states that selling alcohol onto the public highway would constitute a criminal offence and directly undermine the prevention of crime and disorder. The police recommended that the Licensing Sub-Committee issue a counter notice to prevent the event from proceeding in its proposed form.
Philip Richardson, a Principal Environmental Health Officer for RBKC, echoed these concerns on behalf of the Noise and Nuisance Team. He warned that the premises' proximity to the Faraday Road sound system, in an area already prone to heavy congestion during the Carnival, could be exacerbated by alcohol sales. This could encourage people to gather, obstruct pedestrian traffic, and increase the risk of public safety incidents.
Mr Richardson also highlighted the lack of a suitable risk assessment or event plan detailing how risks would be identified and managed.
The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to consider the matter on Thursday 17 July 2025, but the meeting was postponed. The sub-committee will decide whether to issue a counter notice, take no action, or impose conditions. If the premises has a premises licence or club premises certificate, the Licensing Sub-Committee could impose one or more conditions specified on the premises licence or club premises certificate, provided they are consistent with the licensable activities under the temporary event notice. The Public Reports Pack includes a list of temporary event notices received so far for this year's Carnival as Appendix H, excluding those withdrawn or issued a counter notice; some of the notices may still be under consideration.
The application and objections are detailed in the Public Reports Pack.