Havering Council's Licensing Sub-Committee has refused a bid to transfer the premises licence and vary the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) for The Drink Cellar in Romford. The committee met on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, to consider the applications, which followed a previous review of the premises licence due to concerns about bad practice at the venue
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The Metropolitan Police lodged an objection, citing worries about the proposed DPS arrangement. PC Chris Stoppman of the Metropolitan Police explained that the application details, including an email address and phone number, appeared to be linked to a Mr. German Singh Hakimzada, whose previous licence was revoked in 2018. He also raised concerns that the proposed DPS, Hashveen Core Hakimzada, resides approximately 60 miles away from the venue, suggesting this could be a transfer by proxy
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Hashveen Core Hakimzada stated that her father, Mr. Hakimzada, was guiding her but had no direct involvement in the business. She explained she works part-time at Specsavers as an optical assistant, four days a week, and plans to move to Havering after her upcoming marriage. Her agent, Mr. Manpreet Singh Kapoor, apologised for using the father's contact details, explaining it was a long-standing practice with the family. He emphasised that Ms. Hakimzada understood the licensing objectives and was capable of running the premises.
During questioning, Ms. Hakimzada confirmed she had been working at the premises three days a week since January 2025, ordering stock and making lists, but had not been involved in staff training. She stated she would be contactable as DPS and could commute to the premises within an hour and ten minutes in an emergency. She also claimed to understand the four licensing objectives, stating that for public safety, she would ensure no noise around the area, that people leave the premises quietly, and if there was a disturbance outside, she would politely ask them to leave or call the police. For the protection of children from harm, she mentioned using CCTV cameras and implementing Challenge 25
, checking IDs such as passports or driving licenses to ensure they match the person and that they are not underage. She also mentioned that two employees had attended training courses in April 2025.
The subcommittee expressed concerns about Ms. Hakimzada's limited experience in the licensing or hospitality industry, her part-time employment commitments, and the distance from her current work to The Drink Cellar. These concerns raised questions about her ability to provide genuine day-to-day control. The police also raised concerns about her contactability while serving customers at Specsavers. The potential implications for the business if she is unable to effectively manage the premises were not explicitly stated, but the refusal of the licence transfer and variation suggests these concerns were significant enough to prevent the change of DPS.
Ultimately, the Licensing Sub-Committee decided not to grant the licence transfer and variation. The applicant will receive written reasons for the refusal within five days, as detailed in the LO Hearing report, and has 21 days to appeal the decision.
The current licence remains with Mr. Salim Madden. He has applied for consent as landlord to an assignment of his lease to Mr. Garamid Singh Hakimzada. His current tenant, Yusuf Madden, had a 10-year lease which expired on 1st August 2018 and has been holding over since then as it is a protected lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. Further details can be found in the transfer consent document.
