Haringey's Licensing Sub Committee is reviewing the licence of the North Eight pub, formerly known as the Hornsey Tavern, following numerous complaints of violence and noise nuisance. The review was triggered by an application from Craig Bellringer, Noise and Nuisance Officer, citing concerns over crime and disorder, public nuisance, and public safety. The committee is considering several options, including modifying the licence conditions, excluding licensable activities, removing the Designated Premises Supervisor, suspending the licence for up to three months, or even revoking the licence.
The premises licence was initially issued under 'Grandfathered rights' in November 2005. The premises was then taken over by Mr Thomas Kearns in 29th October 2021 under the name of The Hornsey Tavern Ltd, with Mr. Kearns as the director. The premises was reviewed by a resident on 14th March 2022, due to noise issues late evening and into the early hours of the morning, and the Licensing Sub-Committee (LSC) determined to add conditions to the licence at the time. The premises licence was then transferred on 14th March 2024 to Hornsey Arms Ltd, of which Mr. Thomas Kearns is also the director.
The Licensing Sub Committee met on Monday, 7 July 2025, to discuss the application for review of the premises licence for Hornsey Arms Ltd, trading as North Eight, located at 26 Highgate High Street. However, due to a conflict of interest, Councillor Anna Abela, Chair of Licensing Committee, recused herself, and the hearing was adjourned to 17 July 2025.
The application for review, detailed in the Public Reports Pack, highlights a history of complaints. According to the application, the Noise and Nuisance team had received 82 reports since 12 September 2022, relating to music and people noise. Some reports were made outside of service hours (Thursday to Sunday, 6pm to 2am), making them difficult to investigate due to the premises' 3am closing time.
On 13 January 2024, officers attending a resident's property could hear excessively loud music
and issued an abatement notice. A fixed penalty notice was issued and paid on 29 March 2024, after officers witnessed loud music. A further fixed penalty notice was issued on 15 February 2025 after officers heard a specific song within a resident's property.
Bellringer stated that he had met with James Kearns, director of the company, three times to discuss noise mitigation, including preventing third parties from bringing equipment that bypasses the noise limiter. Concerns were also raised about noise from the smoking area and loitering in the early hours.
While James Kearns has met with the Noise and Nuisance Officer to discuss noise mitigation, these steps appear to have been ineffective due to continued complaints. The police representation stated that James Kearns had been spoken to on 14 February regarding an altercation and that he would bar the people that caused issues. During a licensing visit on 14 March, Mr Kearns acknowledged multiple breaches of the licensing conditions, including only hiring one Security Industry Authority (SIA) door supervisor on weekends instead of the required two, not having a refusals book, and issues with obtaining CCTV footage. The police were also concerned that Mr Kearns consumed alcohol while on site.
The Licensing police team also raised concerns about fights and the management's inability to control patrons. Police data indicated 26 call-outs since March 2024, with 28 out of 40 calls related to violence. The police representation noted that approximately 19 incidents involved members of the travelling community refusing to leave or starting fights. It also mentioned an incident where a female was served alcohol to the point of vomiting and a 16-year-old was served at 02:55am, violating licence conditions.
The police stated that a common feature in these incidents was that the management had lost control, with customers being drunk, smoking inside, and being aggressive. The police also stated that some customers looked under 18, and there was no refusals log. After viewing CCTV from incidents on 17 and 18 March, it was clear that the SIA door staff were unable to control the number of people in the premises.
The police stated that over the last 12 months, there had been 11 crime reports generated by police in connection with violent incidents at the premises. The police stated that the premises was presenting as a Police hotspot for Violence against the person, Criminal damage and Public order offences. The police recommended that the venue close at 00:00 hours, with the supply of alcohol being stopped at 23:30 hours, and having a minimum of two SIA door staff every night of the week.
Councillor Adam Small submitted a representation on behalf of concerned residents, stating that the licensing objectives were not being upheld due to anti-social behaviour, noise disturbance, and criminal activity. Residents had reported that the premises had failed to control patrons, attracted individuals who engage in threatening or violent behaviour, and created an unsafe night-time environment. Councillor Small also stated that the existing licence, which permits operation until 3:30am daily, was excessive and incompatible with the residential nature of the surrounding streets.
Other representations from local residents included complaints about noise, disturbances, fights, broken glass, public urination, and vomit. Some residents expressed fear and intimidation due to the behaviour of pub clients. One resident stated that they had witnessed a group of men gathered around the public letterbox outside the pub, dropping pills from a small plastic bag into drinks they had purchased from the pub.
The Licensing Sub-Committee has several options to consider, including modifying the licence conditions, excluding a licensable activity, removing the Designated Premises Supervisor, suspending the licence for up to three months, or revoking the licence.
