Shoreditch Off-Licence Decision Deferred Amid Cumulative Impact Fears

Hackney Council's Licensing Sub Committee D has deferred a decision on a premises licence application for 323 Old Street, amid concerns about the cumulative impact of licensed premises in the Shoreditch area.

The application, submitted by Mr Qais Safi, seeks permission to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises between 9am and midnight, Monday to Wednesday, and between 9am and 2am, Thursday to Saturday. The premises is currently operating as a cocktail bar called Cirque.

However, representations against the application were received from the police and the council's Licensing Authority, citing concerns over crime and disorder and public nuisance.

The police stated that the premises is in the 'Shoreditch Triangle', which the council has identified in its Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) as the area with the highest concentration of licensed premises. A CIA is a tool used by licensing authorities to manage the concentration of licensed premises in a specific area and helps to assess the potential impact of new licenses on the licensing objectives¹. The police referenced the report's details of the 'ongoing dominance of Shoreditch in terms of night-time crime in the borough' and the high number of alcohol-related calls to the London Ambulance Service from the area. They argued that the application failed to demonstrate how the proposed activity would not add to the existing cumulative impact.

The Licensing Authority echoed these concerns, stating that the change in operation from a cocktail bar to an off-licence posed new challenges for promoting licensing objectives in an already saturated area. They said that it was possible that the presence of a further off licence in this area may facilitate activity such as street drinking and pre/post-loading of alcohol. They raised the possibility that another off-licence could encourage street drinking and pre/post-loading of alcohol, further contributing to the cumulative impact.

The Licensing Authority referred to Hackney Council's independently produced cumulative impact report, which stated that the Shoreditch area is extremely busy and at times very chaotic, and that the triangle remains the central hub of the area's night-time economy, retaining people drinking and on the street until 4am, with options to eat until 5:30am.

The Licensing Authority also cited the council's licensing policy, which states that applications within a Special Policy Area should be refused unless the applicant can demonstrate that the proposed activity will not add to the cumulative impact.

Mr. Safi proposed several measures to promote the four licensing objectives, including staff training on Challenge 25, maintaining a CCTV system, operating a 'Challenge 25' scheme, displaying notices regarding CCTV and respect for local residents, maintaining an incident book, restricting purchases from sellers calling at the shop, prohibiting alcohol consumption on the premises, monitoring the area outside the shop, proper waste disposal procedures, and restrictions on the sale of miniature bottles and high-ABV beverages. These measures are detailed in the application for a premises licence and supporting documents, specifically in section M, which describes the steps intended to promote the four licensing objectives.

If the sub-committee were minded to approve the application, the Public reports pack included a list of conditions consistent with the operating schedule that could be applied to the licence. These include:

• Staff training on Challenge 25 and refusal of sales to intoxicated persons.
• Maintenance of a CCTV system.
• Operation of a 'Challenge 25' scheme.
• Display of notices regarding CCTV, Challenge 25, and respect for local residents.
• Maintenance of an incident book.
• Restrictions on the purchase of alcohol and tobacco products from sellers calling at the shop.
• A requirement that alcohol not be sold in an open container or consumed in the licensed premises.
• Staff monitoring of the area outside the shop to prevent loitering or drinking.
• Proper waste disposal procedures.
• A restriction on the sale of miniature bottles of spirits of 50ml or less.
• A restriction on the sale of ales, beer, lager or cider above 6.5% ABV, with exceptions for specialist products.

The police noted that in about a 300m stretch on Old Street, there are already 4 OFF licences with varying hours, one of which is 2 doors away. However, the exact closing times of these other off-licenses are not specified.

The Licensing Sub Committee D, consisting of Councillor Richard Lufkin, Councillor Sem Moema (Mayoral Adviser Private Renting and Housing Affordability) and Councillor Joe Walker, deferred making a decision on the application. A decision will be made at a later date.