A Harrow licensing panel will consider on 14 October whether a basement venue at 439 Alexandra Avenue can serve alcohol and host entertainment into the early hours, after 54 residents objected and both police and the council’s Licensing Authority opposed the application.
Kankudi Limited is seeking a new premises licence for the lower floor beneath Rayners Lane Motors. The ground floor is a motorcycle shop, with access to the basement by a staircase inside. Residential flats sit above the premises, and homes are also close to the rear service entrance.
The application would allow alcohol sales, live and recorded music, dancing and other regulated entertainment until 3am from Sunday to Wednesday and 4am from Thursday to Saturday. The premises could remain open until 3.30am on the first four nights and 4.30am from Thursday to Saturday. Late-night food service is also proposed to 3am or 4am, depending on the day.
On specified dates — including Diwali, Eid, Indian Independence Day, bank holidays and New Year’s Eve — the applicant seeks a further two hours. Depending on the day, that could put the end of entertainment and alcohol sales at 5am or 6am, with customers leaving as late as 5.30am or 6.30am.
Noise and safety concerns
Residents’ objections focus most often on noise from music and bass, and the sounds of people arriving, leaving or gathering outside. Other concerns include taxis, traffic, late-night smoking, litter and the effect on sleep. Some objectors say homes and gardens close to the rear could be especially exposed. Ward councillor Thaya Idaikkadar has also objected, principally over the proposed hours.
The Metropolitan Police oppose the application on all four licensing objectives. Their concerns include the venue’s access and facilities, proposed smoking and parking arrangements, and the welfare and safeguarding of female performers. The council’s Licensing Authority objects to the requested late hours, citing the proximity of homes and risks of noise, disturbance and disorder. Some residents and businesses have sent representations in support, describing the proposed business as a positive addition and pointing to local investment.
The premises has previously operated under the names Baadshah Lounge and Sitara Lounge and already holds a licence with shorter hours. In 2023, a panel granted a licence but restricted entertainment and alcohol sales to 11.30pm from Sunday to Thursday and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays; the public closing times were midnight and 1.30am respectively. The new application is a fresh decision, not an automatic extension of those permissions.
Inspections form part of the case
Licensing officers visited on 1 August while a Temporary Event Notice was in effect. Their inspection record describes dancers performing Mujra-style dances and a payment box beside the DJ booth. Officers considered the activity inconsistent with an existing licence condition prohibiting adult entertainment. They also recorded that CCTV held footage for seven days, although the current licence requires at least 31 days, and that a written dispersal policy and notices asking customers to leave quietly were not in place.
The same visit raised physical-safety concerns. Officers recorded a staircase without a handrail and damaged steps, no fire-exit signs or extinguishers, and music audible at the rear. The premises manager told officers that fire-safety work was being implemented. Those are inspection findings and reported responses, not a decision on the new application. The applicant’s proposed licence conditions do not include some safeguards attached to the existing licence, including its noise-control provisions and prohibition on adult entertainment.
Other visits in June and July found signs that the venue had not been in regular use, and one scheduled temporary event did not take place. The council authority says that history and the inspection record weigh against the request; the panel must assess the current evidence rather than simply repeat the 2023 outcome.
The hearing was first scheduled for 8 September and adjourned at the applicant’s agent’s request. The panel’s 14 October hearing is due to determine the application under the Licensing Act 2003. Members can grant it with conditions, limit or exclude activities, or reject it, and must give reasons. The decision will determine whether late-night entertainment can operate at the site and on what safeguards; either side may appeal to a magistrates’ court within 21 days of notification.
