Red Planet Pizza's bid to sell alcohol during the Notting Hill Carnival is facing strong opposition from the Metropolitan Police and the Environmental Health Noise and Nuisance Team.
The Kensington and Chelsea Licensing Sub-Committee convened on Tuesday 12 August 2025 to discuss a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) submitted by Mr Morteza Akbarabadi of Red Planet Pizza, located at 167 Ladbroke Grove. The application sought permission to sell alcohol during the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday 24 August and Monday 25 August 2025, between the hours of 12:00 and 19:00, with a maximum of 10 people on the premises at any given time. The applicant specified the number 10 in their application.
According to extracts from the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy (Carnival Policy), the Carnival 'footprint' stretches from Harrow Road in the north, down to the Great West Road and Chepstow Road in the east, to Notting Hill Gate in the south and then Ladbroke Grove in the west.
Red Planet Pizza falls squarely within this defined 'Carnival area'.
PC Jinelle Caldinez, representing the Metropolitan Police, lodged an objection based on concerns over crime and disorder, and public safety. In her objection, detailed in Police Objection, she highlighted the premises' location on Ladbroke Grove, a key part of the Carnival's parade route, as a potential hazard. PC Caldinez argued that allowing alcohol sales could disrupt crowd flow, leading to congestion and potential bottlenecks. She also raised concerns that Mr Morteza Akbarabadi had not evidenced that a street trading licence had been obtained, and that he had not followed clauses 25.4 and 25.5 of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Licensing Policy, as he had not consulted the police prior to submitting the TEN, and had not provided a map or risk assessment.
Mr Julian Trill, representing the Environmental Health Noise and Nuisance Team, echoed these concerns in his objection, detailed in Noise and Nuisance Objective, citing public safety as the primary reason for the objection. He noted that the additional queuing caused by alcohol sales could obstruct the parade route, further endangering public safety. Mr Trill also pointed out the absence of a risk assessment or event management plan to demonstrate how Mr Morteza Akbarabadi would manage alcohol sales and queues around the premises.
Beyond the lack of a risk assessment and street trading license, the Licensing Sub-Committee might consider the location of the premises on Ladbroke Grove, which is part of the main parade route of the Notting Hill Carnival, and the potential negative impact on crowd flow, potentially leading to congestion and bottlenecks. They would also consider the objections from the Metropolitan Police and the Noise and Nuisance Team, which cite concerns about public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder.
The sub-committee also reviewed Temporary Event Notice, which included the original temporary event notice, and an email from Mr Morteza Akbarabadi confirming that he intended to operate on both the 24th and 25th of August, and that he was happy to amend the operating hours to be from 12:00 to 19:00 on each day.
Red Planet Pizza currently holds a premises licence, detailed in Current Premises Licence, which permits the provision of late-night refreshments indoors from 23:00 to 01:00, Monday to Sunday.
Carnival Policy contains extracts from the council's statement of licensing policy, including sections on temporary event notices and the Notting Hill Carnival. It states that the council aims to have a safe and enjoyable Carnival, and that particular attention will be paid to any application for a premises licence or TEN notification in the Carnival area.
The Licensing Sub-Committee, comprised of Cllr Marie-Therese Rossi (Vice-Chair, Licensing Committee), Cllr Dori Schmetterling, and Cllr Linda Wade, will now consider the objections and determine whether to allow the event to proceed, reject it, or allow it with specific conditions. If the Licensing Sub-Committee decides to allow the event to proceed, they may impose one or more conditions which are specified on the premises licence or club premises certificate which the committee considers are not inconsistent with the carrying out of the licensable activities under the temporary event notice.
The meeting to consider the Temporary Event Notice (TEN) was held on Tuesday, 12 August 2025. The agenda (Agenda frontsheet 12th-Aug-2025 11.00 Licensing Sub-Committee) indicates that the Licensing Sub-Committee must give the premises user a counter notice if it considers it necessary for the promotion of the crime prevention/public nuisance prevention objectives to do so. The agenda also states that if the premises user does not attend the hearing, the Licensing Sub-Committee may decide that it is in the public interest to adjourn the hearing to another date, in which case it will, without unreasonable delay, notify the parties of the date, time and place to which the hearing has been adjourned.
