Sainsbury's has been granted a licence to sell alcohol 24 hours a day at its New Festival Quarter store in Tower Hamlets. The decision was made by the council's Licensing Sub Committee on Monday, July 27, 2026.

The supermarket, located at Units 1 and 2, New Festival Quarter, Upper North Street, E14 6FY, will be able to sell alcohol from 7am to 11pm daily, with the premises open 24 hours a day. This decision came despite a single objection from a resident who raised concerns about noise, anti-social behaviour, litter, and public safety.

Exterior of a Sainsbury's store with promotional posters for drinks and a
Sainsbury's store frontage

Robert Botkay, representing Sainsbury's, argued that the proposed hours were consistent with the council's policy and that the store would operate with appropriate staffing and CCTV. He also noted that the police had agreed conditions relating to staff training, refusal logs, and incident reporting.

Resident's Concerns Detailed

The resident objector, Sanam Sajjad, who lives approximately 75-100 feet away from the proposed Sainsbury's site, specifically objected to the sale of alcohol from 7am to 11pm daily. Their concerns included:

  • Prevention of Crime and Disorder: Exacerbation of existing anti-social behaviour (ASB) due to individuals loitering for cannabis use and drug-related activities, with alcohol potentially acting as a further catalyst for public intoxication and disorder.
  • Prevention of Public Nuisance: Noise from increased foot traffic, car doors slamming, and customers congregating outside the shop, which would directly disturb residents' peace, especially late at night.
  • Public Safety: Increased litter (bottles and cans) posing a risk, and groups congregating to drink and smoke creating an unsafe environment for residents navigating their neighborhood.
  • Protection of Children from Harm: Exposure of children to alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and drug use as a norm in their immediate living environment due to the 16-hour window for alcohol sales in a concentrated residential setting.

Sanam Sajjad urged the committee to refuse the application or, if approved, to significantly restrict the hours and mandate rigorous CCTV and security presence.

Sainsbury's Mitigation Measures

Sainsbury's proposed the following measures to mitigate concerns:

  • Noise and Anti-social Behaviour: The applicant argued that the police, who are experts on crime and disorder, were not objecting to the application. They also stated that they would operate with an appropriate number of store colleagues at any one time and would look after the frontage of the shop. They also noted that they operate in many similar residential areas without license reviews or issues.
  • Litter: Sainsbury's stated that there's no evidence suggests that there were any more litter from the Sainsbury's than there would be from the existing store.
  • Public Safety: They mentioned having CCTV throughout all stores and risk-assessing for other security measures. Their store colleagues have access to body-worn cameras, which have been helpful. They also confirmed they would operate Challenge 25 and that their store colleagues have access to body-worn cameras.

Agreed Conditions with Police

Sainsbury's agreed to the following conditions with the police, which were added to the premises licence:

  1. All staff involved in the sale or supply of alcohol must undergo a recognized training scheme for such duties before they are allowed to sell alcohol. Refresher training must be completed and documented at intervals of no more than six months. Training records must be retained at the premises or at the offices of the licence holder for a minimum period of 12 months from the date of training.
  2. All cashiers shall be trained to record refusals of sales of alcohol in a refusals register. The register will contain: details of the time and date the refusal was made; the identity of the staff member refusing the sale; and details of the alcohol the person attempted to purchase. This register will be available for inspection by a police officer or other authorized officer on request.
  3. An incidents register shall be maintained at the premises recording: all incidents of crime and disorder occurring at the premises; and details of occasions when the police are called to the premises. This register will be available for inspection by a police officer or other authorized officer on request.

PC Marc Parkinson confirmed that Subject to these conditions being added to the premises license, Police do not have any representations to make in relation to this application.

Council Policy and Decision

The meeting information does not explicitly state the council's policy regarding 24-hour alcohol sales. However, it does mention the council's adopted framework hours for licensable activities: Monday to Thursday, from 06:00 hrs to 23:30 hrs; Friday and Saturday, from 06:00 hrs to 00:00 hrs (midnight); and Sunday, from 06:00 hrs to 22:30 hrs. The Sainsbury's application sought off-sales of alcohol from 7am to 11pm, with the premises open 24 hours a day. The applicant's representative argued that your policy does allow generally stores to match their trading hours and alcohol hours unless there are good reasons to restrict those hours. The committee ultimately decided to grant the licence as applied for, which included the 7am to 11pm alcohol sales hours, aligning with the applicant's request rather than strictly adhering to the stated framework hours for alcohol sales, as the premises would be open 24 hours. The decision to grant the licence as applied for suggests the committee did not impose further restrictions on the alcohol sales hours beyond what Sainsbury's requested, despite the resident's objection and the existence of framework hours.

Objection Process

The meeting information indicates that residents can object to licensing applications by making representations. In the case of Sainsbury's, a single objection was received from a resident, Sanam Sajjad. The process involved the resident submitting a written objection detailing their concerns. The committee considered this objection, along with the applicant's response and the agreed conditions with the police, before making a decision. The text states, The committee considered the objection but ultimately decided to grant the licence as applied for, with the agreed conditions, suggesting that while objections are considered, they do not automatically lead to refusal, especially when conditions are agreed upon with responsible authorities.

Map showing the location of Sainsbury's at New Festival Quarter, Upper North Street, E14 6FY, which was granted a new premises licence.
Map of Sainsbury's location

A map showing the New Festival Quarter area, highlighting Epstein Square and surrounding streets, relevant to a licensing application.
Map of New Festival Quarter area

The committee considered the objection but ultimately decided to grant the licence as applied for, with the agreed conditions. The police had no objections to the application, subject to the agreed conditions being added to the premises licence. For more details on the meeting agenda and reports, see the Agenda frontsheet and Public reports pack.