Wandsworth residents are voicing concerns over a Bellevue Road coffee shop's application for a late-night licence, citing potential noise and disruption.
P&D Coffee Ltd, operating as Dilectio Coffee at 32 Bellevue Road, has applied for a new premises licence to permit the sale of alcohol until 23:59, regulated entertainment (recorded music) until 23:59, and late-night refreshment until 23:29, Monday to Sunday. The report to the Licensing Sub-Committee details the application.
It is important to note that Dilectio Coffee is a new business and does not currently hold a premises licence, so this would be a new operating schedule for the location.
Several residents have formally objected to the application, raising concerns about potential public nuisance and crime and disorder. Their objections, included in the Public reports pack, cite increased noise levels, late-night disturbances, and potential anti-social behaviour.
Phoebe Wickens and Harry Barber, residents of 3 Old Studios, 31B Bellevue Road, stated:
Our primary concerns relate to the potential negative impact on the local residential environment, including increased noise levels, disturbance from late night activity, and potential anti-social behaviour that often accompanies late operating hours. As residents living so close to the venue, we believe that the approval of this application would be a material change that significantly affected our quality of life, the peaceful enjoyment of our home and the value of our property.
Another resident expressed concerns that granting a late-night licence would lead to a significant deterioration in their quality of life and property value due to noise, anti-social behaviour, and public disturbance.
Russell and Cassidy Varty, residents and homeowners on Bellevue Road, noted that they only received notice of the application via a note in the window of Dilectio Coffee, expressing an expectation of receiving direct notification from the applicant or the council.
The Metropolitan Police had initially raised concerns about the operating schedule's ability to prevent crime and disorder, particularly regarding the sale of single cans of beer, lager, cider, and spirits. However, P&D Coffee Ltd addressed these concerns by agreeing to include an additional condition related to restrictions on the sale of single cans of beer, lager and cider and volume of spirits, detailed in Appendix A of the report, leading to the police withdrawing their representation.
Similarly, the Trading Standards Officer withdrew their representation after the applicant agreed to include additional conditions regarding age verification procedures at the premises in relation to staff training, which can also be viewed in Appendix A of the report.
The Licensing Sub-Committee, comprised of Councillors Katrina Ffrench (Chair), Guy Humphries, and Sarmila Varatharaj, is scheduled to review the application at a meeting on Monday, 17 November 2025. The committee can grant the application as requested, modify the conditions of the licence (alter or omit conditions or add new), or reject the whole or part of the application. The committee will consider the representations made and evidence presented to determine whether to grant the application as requested, modify the conditions, or reject the application.
