A new off-licence has been approved for 25A Fife Road, Kingston upon Thames, despite significant objections from local residents concerned about crime, disorder, and public nuisance.

The Kingston upon Thames Licensing Sub-Committee granted the licence for V&M Off Licence on Monday, June 22, 2026, following a hearing where resident concerns were voiced about existing issues in the Fife Road area, including street drinking, littering, and anti-social behaviour.

Bottles in a doorway
Several bottles of alcohol are lined up in a recessed doorway, suggesting potential issues with public nuisance or street drinking.

During the hearing, Mr. Noel Samaru, representing local residents, reiterated these concerns, arguing that an additional off-licence would likely exacerbate existing problems. He questioned the extent to which alcohol sales would form the business model and sought clarification on measures to prevent increased nuisance.

However, the applicant's agent, Mandir Khawah, highlighted the Designated Premises Supervisor's extensive experience and the premises' two-year trading history without complaints or enforcement actions. The agent emphasised that proposed conditions in the operating schedule went beyond minimum requirements. The premises at V&M Kingston, 25A Fife Road, has been trading there for two years without an alcohol licence. It has had no complaints, no enforcement action, nor any issues involving crime and disorder. The metrics used to assess this history appear to be the absence of complaints, enforcement actions, and crime and disorder issues.

Street scene in Kingston upon Thames
A street scene in Kingston upon Thames, showing shops including 'Lizzie's Cafe' and 'Millennium Food & Wine', with traffic and cycle lanes.

The Metropolitan Police initially raised concerns but withdrew their representation after mediation and amendments to the operating schedule, which satisfied their concerns regarding the prevention of crime and disorder. Following mediation, the applicant agreed to amendments to their operating schedule that satisfied the Metropolitan Police's concerns, leading to the withdrawal of their representation. While the specific details of these amendments are not explicitly listed as separate from the general conditions, the applicant's agent stated, the Metropolitan Police did initially put through a representation. However, through mediation, their concerns were fully addressed and now they have withdrawn.

Following deliberation, the committee granted the licence, attaching specific conditions to promote the licensing objectives. These conditions include stringent measures for CCTV operation, incident logging, staff training, and restrictions on the sale of certain alcohol products.

CCTV and Incident Logging

The licence for V&M Off Licence includes stringent measures for CCTV operation and incident logging. For CCTV, it is required to be digital, installed to Home Office Guidance standards, maintained in good working condition, and recordings must be kept for 31 days and made immediately available to the police and authorized council officers. The system must be capable of clear facial recognition and head-and-shoulders images, display the correct date and time, have a trained staff member available at all times, and cover the entrance, internal areas, and servery counter. Recordings must be in a viewable format without specialist software. An incident log must be kept, recording all crimes reported, ejections, complaints, disorder, CCTV faults, refusals of alcohol sales, and visits by relevant authorities or emergency services. This log must be available for inspection upon request. All images downloaded from the CCTV must be provided in a format which can be viewed on regularly available equipment without the need for specialist software. CCTV will be recording at all times when the premises is open, and the recordings will be of a suitable quality to be produced in court of hearing.

Discarded items against a brick wall
A pile of discarded items, including a rug, cans, and debris, against a brick wall.

Product Restrictions and Age Verification

Beyond high-strength beers and single cans, V&M Off Licence will also not sell miniatures (5cl and 10cl). The condition states: Strong beer and cider with an Alcohol By Volume (ABV) content of above 5.5% shall not be displayed or sold. Single cans or bottles of beer or cider shall not be sold. No miniatures to be sold at the premises (5cl and 10cl) .

The 'Challenge 25' policy will be enforced by V&M Off Licence by requiring any person looking under the age of 25 to prove their age when attempting to purchase alcohol. Signs to this effect will be displayed at the premises, and 'Challenge 25' posters will be displayed where alcohol is sold. The only acceptable forms of ID will be those with photographic identification, including a passport, photo-card driving license, or a PASS hologram-bearing proof of age card. A refusal book will be kept and updated as required, available for inspection by licensing officers or the police. A sign stating No proof of age No sale will be displayed at the point of sale.

Discarded metal frame and litter
A discarded metal frame and litter are shown in an outdoor area, potentially illustrating concerns about public nuisance and anti-social behaviour raised during a council meeting.

Staff Training

The licensing committee mandated specific staff training requirements for V&M Off Licence. All staff must be trained before selling alcohol, with records of training and materials kept by the Designated Premises Supervisor or Premises Licence Holder. Training records must be signed by both trainer and trainee. A training manual will be implemented, and staff will be trained in underage sales prevention. Refresher training is required every six months and must be documented. The training records will be available for inspection by the police or authorized local authority officers. The applicant's agent also mentioned that staff will undergo a level one alcohol retail course and six months refresher training where they will the cps will be going through with them all the training going through a sort of an exam style question q a with them to ensure that they understand all the laws and regulations .

Discarded plastic bottle on paved area
A discarded plastic bottle lies on a paved area next to a brick wall, illustrating concerns about litter and anti-social behaviour raised during a council meeting.

V&M Vape Mobile store
The V&M Vape Mobile store on Fife Road, Kingston upon Thames, which was the subject of a licensing application.

Graffiti-covered boarded-up storefront
Graffiti-covered boarded-up storefront, potentially representing a site of concern for a licensing application.

Exterior view of V&M Vape Mobile
Exterior view of V&M Vape Mobile, a shop located on Fife Road, Kingston upon Thames, with a street view showing other businesses and parked cars.

Further details of the meeting can be found in the Minutes of the previous meeting and the Public reports pack.