Licensing update – GoPuff licensing application

Licensing application for ground floor of London House

A licensing application has been made for the ground floor premises in London House on Aldersgate Street which can be viewed here.

The application is to convert the space, which used to be a Natural Kitchen café and prior to that a pub, into a “warehouse” for the delivery of instant groceries and drinks by bicycle deliverers. The applicant is GoPuff whose modus operandi can be viewed in the following article which talks about the business’s launch in the UK.

Application for a 24/7 operation

The application is for a 24 hour/7 days a week operation: “The proposed application is to facilitate a grocery service that requires the Sale by Retail of Alcohol off sales Monday to Sunday 00:00 to 00:00 and on sales Monday to Sunday 08:00 to 23:00 on such other times and on such other terms as set out in the application.”

This would mean deliveries and bikes coming and going across the pavement at all time of the day and night. There has been no prior consultation about this proposal which clearly has the potential to adversely impact residential amenity in terms of noise and disturbance.

If any resident wants to object, the relevant ground for doing so is public nuisance as a 24 hour/7 days a week operation could be noisy at night and disruptive to pedestrians and traffic during the day.

The address to send any objection to is: licensing@cityoflondon.gov.uk

We think the applicant needs to put in a planning application for a change of use – but the licensing team have advised people that if they want to object they should object now to the licensing application – deadline 22 April – because that is the only application open at the moment. If it turns out the applicant does need a planning application (and councillors are inquiring whether this is the case) then any planning conditions (or refusal) would trump a licence.

Please make your feelings known for, if this application is granted, similar such requests may well be forthcoming at other areas around the estate.