Social Value Ideas for Lewisham London Borough Council

Licensing Application Rejected

Lewisham Licensing Sub Committee A rejected the premises licence application for Grand Empire (108-110 Rushy Green) submitted by Empire Lounge Services Limited. The decision was made following a forma…

“The decision is to reject the application. A decision notice which includes the reasons for this decision will be sent out in five working days.”

Adjournment refused

The committee refused the licence holder’s request to adjourn the review hearing, deciding that an immediate determination was in the public interest because of the seriousness of the resident and aut…

“The subcommittee has considered the request for an adjournment and has had due regard to the representations made. The subcommittee has decided to ref…”

New premises licence granted with conditions

The committee determined a new premises licence application for Bottle Cave Limited at 20 Sydenham Road and granted it, but with amendments and enforceable conditions intended to protect the licensing…

“The decision is to grant the licence with an amendment to reduce the supply of alcohol for consumption off the premises between 9am to 10pm on Sunday.…”

Premises licence granted with conditions

The subcommittee approved the premises licence application for Fields Cafe, Ladywell Fields, subject to conditions already agreed with the licensing authority. This is a licensing policy and regulator…

“So the subcommittee has decided to grant the application as applied for, subject to the conditions included in the agenda reports pack that were agree…”

Grant of Dream Storey licence

The committee decided to grant Dream Storey Coffee's new premises licence. The application was for seated, table-service alcohol sales in a food-led neighbourhood café, with conditions already agreed …

“The decision is to grant the application. A decision notice which will include the reasons for this decision will be sent out in five working days. Th…”

Reduced-hours grant for newsagent

John's News Agent's application sought 24-hour alcohol sales, but after representations from police, licensing authority and residents, the applicant accepted reduced licensable hours ending at 2am Mo…

“The application was received on 1 May 2026 and processed in accordance with the Licencing Act 2003 and associated regulations. The statutory 28 -day c…”

Sunday trading hours reduced

Although the applicant sought wider licensing hours, the committee narrowed Sunday hours for both off-sales and on-sales to reflect residential concerns. This is a policy decision affecting how the pr…

“The decision is to grant the licence with an amendment to reduce the supply of alcohol for consumption off the premises between 9am to 10pm on Sunday.…”

New children's home capital scheme

The committee considered and supported a capital scheme to refurbish and convert 200 Kirkdale, Sydenham into a 5–6 bed local authority children’s home. The project uses £800,000 of DfE match funding p…

“And the key thing just is that this is kind of a significant and important part of our sufficiency strategy to address the challenges that we have in …”

Council-run children's home

Cabinet approved capital investment to refurbish and operate a five-to-six bed local authority children's home at 200 Kirkdale, Sydenham. The purpose is to reduce reliance on expensive out-of-borough …

“For far too long, we along with other councils across the country have become dependent on the private market for presidential children's care. The re…”

Council-run children’s home funding

Lewisham is progressing a new council-run children’s home in Sydenham, funded by an £800,000 Department for Education grant plus £400,000 from the sale of an existing building. The home is intended to…

“"Lewisham applied to that fund and we received a grant of £800 ,000 to develop our own children's home. We've also secured an additional £400 ,000 fro…”

Planning reform constitution update

The committee considered urgent constitutional amendments to implement national planning reforms by 31 October 2026. The changes would replace local referral thresholds with a national scheme of deleg…

“Now obviously when the government mandates change through statute, the council is required to make constitutional amendments to ensure its constitutio…”

Longton Ave scheme approved

Members approved planning permission for a five-storey, 20-flat residential building at 27 Longton Avenue despite objections about height, massing, heritage impact, privacy and daylight. The committee…

“Accordingly, officers recommend that planning permission be granted subject to the completion of a sexual awareness agreement and the conditions set o…”