Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive apologies from Members of the Sub-Committee.

No apologies for absence were received.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors 

The Chair to announce any items of urgent business circulated separately from the main agenda.

There were no items of urgent business.

Members to declare any personal and financial interests in items on the agenda. Attention is drawn to the Council’s Constitution; the Council’s Code of Conduct and associated advice.

Resolved-

That the list of Councillors’ memberships as Council appointed representatives on outside bodies, joint committees and school governing bodies is noted.

Application for a Premises Licence

The Sub-Committee has determined an application for a new Premises Licence under the Licensing Act 2003 (“The Act”) in respect of Suya Spot (Just Suya Ltd), 13A Spray Street, Woolwich, SE18 6AG (“The Premises”). The application is to enable the provision of hot food and drink between 23:00 and 00:00 daily.

The application attracted a number of representations against it. These were from individual residents and the RBG Safer Spaces team. These were broadly concerned with the licensing objectives of the prevention of public nuisance and the prevention of crime and disorder, although concerns were also raised in terms of public safety. A proposed condition put forward by the Police Licensing Officer had been accepted by Mr Adesoji Alayo (“the Applicant”) before the meeting.

The Sub-Committee heard from Mr Steve Cox (Licensing Officer), who set out the application as per the Licensing Sub-Committee Report with one update of note, which was that there had been a visit by the RBG Licensing team on 4 October at 22:58. The Premises was observed to have its shutter two thirds lowered, with a staff member cleaning and no food for sale.

The Applicant was then given an opportunity to set out the reasons for his application. In particular, he addressed the concerns of residents and the Safer Spaces team about the large group of men who habitually congregated in the vicinity of the Premises.

He explained that the group was nothing to do with him and he wasn’t in any way responsible for their behaviour. He recounted an incident in August when he had in fact confronted members of the group for carrying cups in front of the Premises. He explained that he had been violently assaulted and had had to call the police, who told him to ring them if people tried to bring in open containers to his premises. He provided a reference number given to him by the Police.

The Applicant explained that it was not feasible to call the police on every occasion. In respect of criticisms about playing music he said as soon as he had been told not to do this outdoors he had complied, and also that he had stopped putting chairs outside the Premises. He also described an occasion when he had cleared up some fly tipping.

He asked for the Council to be allowed to do its job to stop the group causing a nuisance and said he would be willing to close his shop at 11pm if that would help stop the problem.

In response to a question from the Councillors, the Applicant said that the reason he wanted to open later was to take advantage, especially in the summer months, of passing trade from the train station/DLR. He denied that the situation would become any worse if the Premises was open later and stated that there had been no chairs outside or music played since he had received warnings.

Mr Bygrave from the Safer Spaces team then made submissions objecting to the  ...  view the full decision text for item 4.

In Attendance:

Applicant:                                                                 Just Suya Limited

Adesoji Alayo

Making Representation:                            Lorna Revell (Community Safety Enforcement Supervisor)

Daniel Bygrave(Safer Spaces Operations Manager)

Mary Budd

Steven Latraille

Jacqueline Latraille

The Chair welcomed all parties and ensured that introductions were made, all papers had been received and all parties were aware of their right to be represented.

The Sub-Committee considered an application made by Adesoji Alayo for the grant of a premises licence in respect of Suya Spot, 13A Spray Street, Woolwich, London SE18 6AG.

The Licensing Officer gave an illustrated introduction to the report. In his presentation, he stated that Just Suya Spot was a business specialising in Nigerian and Caribbean cuisine, offering takeaway only.

The applicant thanked the Licensing Sub Committee (LSC) for the opportunity and stated that he had no issue with his closing hours but disagreed with the objections made against him. Addressing the objections raised by residents, he stated that it is not his responsibility to control the behaviour of people entering his premises with plastic cups. He referenced an incident on August 18 when he had called the police to assist with an altercation regarding customers bringing plastic cups into his shop.

The applicant informed the LSC that, after receiving a complaint, he had implemented measures to ensure that music was kept within the confines of the premises. He added that chairs and tables were no longer placed outside and highlighted some measures he had implemented to manage the bins and litter around the premises. He further explained that he was not responsible for people gathering in the area with plastic cups, as he did not sell alcohol. He clarified that the neighbouring businesses sold alcohol to their customers, who often purchased suya from his premises. He expressed support for the authorities penalizing those gathering around his premises with plastic cups.

In response to a question from the LSC, the applicant explained that he had a contract with the council to manage waste from the business. He also mentioned that the request for an extension in his operating hours was to enable him to attend to the demand from customers outside the operating hours of his current license. The applicant reiterated the points he had made regarding the measures implemented to control music and the placement of chairs and tables outside the premises.

The Safer Spaces Operations Manager addressed the LSC and stated that he supported the objection against the license for Suya Spot. He explained that Suya Spot is located in a high-priority area with a designated Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) covering various offenses, including open containers of alcohol and street drinking.

The safer spaces operations manager stated that large groups had been observed congregating in an antisocial manner, violating one of the conditions of the PSPO. He indicated that digital evidence, obtained from the CCTV department, had recorded groups engaging in antisocial behaviour and noisemaking around the premises. He pointed out to the LSC that the congregation of these groups around the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.