The Soho Society has been ordered to pay £10,000 towards Westminster Council's costs after losing an appeal against a new premises licence granted to The Green Room Distillery at 13 Meard Street. The Green Room Distillery applied for a new premises licence to operate a gin distillery and a shop at ground floor level.
The decision was revealed during a meeting of the Licensing Committee on Wednesday 17 September 2025, where members received an update on recent licensing appeals, detailed in the Appeals report for September LC Final V3 8.9.25 002.
The Soho Society appealed the decision to grant a new premises licence to The Green Room Distillery on the grounds of procedural unfairness, arguing that the evidence of the London Fire Brigade was allowed without their consent. They also contended that the Committee should not have granted a licence for a gin distillery, alleging it to be a fire hazard. According to the Licensing Committee report, the District Judge dismissed every appeal ground submitted by The Soho Society on 13 June 2025. The reasons for the dismissal were not specified in the meeting information. The Soho Society subsequently paid £10,000 towards the council's costs on 17 July 2025. The meeting information does not specify any further options for the Soho Society.
