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Perhaps predictably, within hours of posting the outline of the decision on the Beaufoy I got the detailed decision. This has not been posted on the council’s website yet, but will appear in due course (I’m not sure if it will be under the original 28 February meeting or the adjourned 24 April meeting).

The additional conditions are, I think, interesting and worth posting in full. I’ve never seen some of them used anywhere else before. A proposed set of conditions were suggested jointly by the licensee’s solicitor, police and council, I don’t know how far these were amended by the committee:

The Sub-Committee decided to add the following permanent conditions arising from relevant representations:-

1. The prevention of crime and disorder
   1. A review of the CCTV system, including the numbers of and positioning of all cameras, shall be agreed with the Metropolitan Police and Licensing Authority and all their recommendations be implemented within 6 months of 24 April 2012 .

   2. CCTV cameras covering the front and side of the venue will be installed.
   3. All recordings from the CCTV system shall be retained and stored in a suitable and secure manner for a minimum of 31 days, and shall be made available on request to the Metropolitan Police, Licensing Authority or other Responsible Authorities.

   4. To ensure that the CCTV system is operating and recording 24 hours a day.
   5. To have a member of staff who is trained in the use of the CCTV system on duty at the premises all times they are open.

   6. No open drinks containers are to be allowed to be taken from the premises.
   7. The premises will be searched at least once daily by trained staff to check for drug usage. A log of these checks shall be kept and produced upon request of a Police Officer.
   8. Customers will be refused entry if they fail to submit to a voluntary search
   9. Ensure that a comprehensive incident register is maintained at the premises. The Designated Premises Supervisor shall ensure that details of incidents (i.e. ejections of persons where the emergency services are called because of offences against the person or theft) shall be added to the register within 24 hours of any incident. The register will be kept at the venue and produced for inspection upon request from the police or an authorised officer from the Licensing Authority. The incident register shall be recorded:-

      1. Date of incident
      2. Time of incident

      3. Location of incident
      4. Persons concerned
      5. Summary of incident

      6. Identification of any Emergency Services Personnel who attended.
   10. A risk assessment form 696 must be completed for every event involving new external promoters and submitted to the Metropolitan Police at least 14 working days prior to any regulated entertainment event taking place.
2. The prevention of public nuisance
   1. All doors (save for entry and egress) and all windows shall be kept closed whenever Regulated Entertainment is provided, and after 23.00 irrespective of the provision of Regulated Entertainment.

   2. The door staff shall be tasked with maintaining the acoustic lobby at the front of the premises by ensuring that both doors are not opened concurrently (save for emergencies).


The hours are set at:

• Sunday: 12.00 – 22.30
• Monday and Tuesday: 10.00 – 00.00
• Wednesday and Thursday: 10.00 – 01.00
• Friday and Saturday: 10.00 – 02.00

They are, I think, fairly stringent. Hopefully they will prevent the problems that have been making the lives of neighbours a misery for too long.

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The licensing review on the Beaufoy reconvened last week following what can only be described as an abortive first meeting when the police evidence was not as robust as it should have been. I confess that my attempts to find out more about the police’s position in the intervening weeks has done little to enlighten me but nor has it reduced my concerns about the premises.

The formal decision has not been posted on the council’s website yet, however I understand that the decision – following a negotiation between the premises, police and council noise team – was to cut the premises’ licensed hours.

It will now only have a licence until 1am on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. Perhaps most importantly the premises will need to close 30 minutes after their licensed hours. This removes the loophole that meant it could stay open all night, as long as all sales were completed within licensed hours.

By imposing conditions and bringing the Beaufoy more fully into the council’s licensing regime (I understand elements of the old license traced back to the Greater London Council, not least the long hours) hopefully the new licence will help the landlord keep things in order, and the council and police to enforce if anything gets out of hand.