Barnet resident Jennifer Stone has complained to Barnet Council about late-night music emanating from The Coffee Place & Breakfast on Woodhouse Road. The complaint was made as part of a representation against a premises licence variation application submitted by Amarildo Papaj, the applicant, to extend the hours for alcohol sales and opening hours. The Licensing Sub-Committee considered the application on 22 July 2025.
The proposed changes included extending the closing time for alcohol sales to 23:30 from Monday to Thursday, and to 01:00 on Friday and Saturday mornings. The closing time on Sundays would be extended to 23:00. The applicant also requested to open earlier, at 06:00 from Monday to Saturday.
Ms. Stone, who lives on the same street as the café, stated that she was kept awake until 1am by loud music from the premises. She also raised concerns about the front section of the café, describing it as unpleasant for non-smokers to enter and puts off families from using the cafe.
She believes the area is not ventilated enough for smoking, and the noise cannot be contained. Ms. Stone stated she had a short video as evidence which she would send in a separate email.
Her representation, included in the Public Reports Pack, also expressed concern about the café being granted a license for all-day drinking in a residential and school area, citing the proximity of Summerside Primary School, Wren Academy, and Woodhouse College. She stated that hundreds of children walk past this café on a daily basis to and from school, many of whom are not accompanied by adults.
The licensing authority did not receive any objections from other Responsible Authority representatives.
The police initially objected to the variation application but withdrew their objection after Dilek Alagoz of Alagoz Dilek Kaplan Consulting, the agent for the applicant, agreed to abide by the existing conditions on the licence. These conditions include:
- A zero-tolerance policy towards drugs.
- The installation and maintenance of a CCTV system.
- Alcohol only being served to seated customers with a substantial meal.
- Staff training to prevent customers consuming excess amounts of alcohol.
- The maintenance of an incident/refusals log.
- Keeping doors and windows closed after 19:00.
- Restrictions on alcohol being served outside after certain hours.
- The display of notices requesting customers to respect local residents.
- Ventilation and extract systems to prevent noxious smells.
- Discouraging customers from standing around loudly outside the premises.
- A
Challenge 25
policy - Ensuring no person is employed without the right to work in the UK.
The Licensing Sub-Committee Hearing Procedure allows each party a maximum of 3 minutes to present their case. Video evidence must be in DVD format and submitted to the authority at least five working days before the hearing, along with sufficient copies for all opposing parties.
The Licensing Sub-Committee will consider the application, taking into account the representation from Ms. Stone, the agreement with the police, and the existing licensing objectives. The Licensing Sub-Committee is required to give appropriate weight to the representations (including supporting information) presented by all the parties, the Guidance issued pursuant to section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy 2020 and the steps that are appropriate to promote the four licensing objectives.
