Harrow's Licensing Panel has refused a licence for food, drink and Bollywood dancing until 3am below 439 Alexandra Avenue, after 41 written objections from residents.

Harrow Council has refused a licence for a late-night venue on the lower floor of 439 Alexandra Avenue, in Rayners Lane ward. The applicant wanted to serve alcohol and put on music and dancing until 3am at weekends.

The council’s Licensing Panel made the decision on 14 October. Its minutes and decision notice are now published (Harrow Council, Licensing Panel, 14 October 2026).

The panel found that late-night music, smoking outside and customers leaving would create “a material risk of sleep disturbance and loss of residential amenity”. It said no condition offered at the hearing would bring that risk down to an acceptable level.

What was applied for

The applicant was Kankudi Limited. The council’s report says the ground floor of the building is a motorcycle sales and repair shop, reached by a staircase inside it. The application covered only the floor below. There are flats above the building, and houses behind it (officers’ report).

At the hearing the applicant’s representative described it as a members’ club for local workers. It would offer food, drink and entertainment, including Bollywood dancing.

The hours changed as the application went on:

Licensable activities until Open to the public until
As applied for, Sunday to Wednesday 3am 3.30am
As applied for, Thursday to Saturday 4am 4.30am
Offered at the hearing, Sunday to Wednesday 2am 2.30am
Offered at the hearing, Thursday to Saturday 3am 3.30am

The first application also asked for two extra hours on bank holidays, Diwali, Indian Independence Day, both Eids and New Year’s Eve. The applicant withdrew those extensions at the hearing.

The building already holds a premises licence, the report says. It allows licensable activities until 11.30pm Sunday to Thursday and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. The council’s licensing team told the panel that similar late hours were refused by a licensing sub-committee in 2023.

Who objected, and who did not

The panel received 41 written objections from residents, and two objectors spoke at the hearing. Rayners Lane ward councillor Thaya Idaikkadar also objected, mainly on the late hours.

The council’s report says residents raised:

  • music and bass from the early hours
  • customers arriving, leaving and smoking outside
  • taxis, car doors and engines late at night
  • litter and broken glass
  • existing street drinking and anti-social behaviour in the area

The council’s own licensing team objected too. Its officers inspected the premises and monitored temporary events in June, July and August. The report says they found concerns about noise, health and safety, fire safety and CCTV.

The Metropolitan Police first opposed the application. It withdrew its objection after agreeing conditions and shorter hours with the applicant, including CCTV, Challenge 25 and Ask for Angela. The panel said those measures dealt mainly with crime and customer safety, not noise.

Some residents, nearby businesses and people working in the area wrote in support. The report says they saw the venue as a positive addition and backed local investment.

Why the panel said no

The decision notice sets out the reasons. The panel said it had:

  • no tested evidence of how well the floor was soundproofed
  • no specification for the noise limiter the applicant offered
  • no detailed plan for how customers would leave quietly late at night

It also said shutting doors and windows would not stop noise from smokers outside or people leaving. Conditions and changes arrived shortly before the hearing, one set at 00:33 on 13 October, so the panel had no “settled, coherent operating schedule” to attach conditions to.

The panel said it did not refuse simply because residents objected or because the hours were late. It was a majority decision.

What it means for you

  • If you live near Alexandra Avenue, the new late licence has been refused. The decision notice does not change the building’s existing licence.
  • The applicant, or anyone who made a representation, can appeal to the magistrates’ court within 21 days of being notified of the decision. We have not seen any appeal.
  • If you have a noise problem from any premises, you can report it to Harrow Council’s environmental health team.

Planning applications across the borough are on our Harrow planning news page.

Sources