I have been very proud to act for and represented the fantastic Maven Premium Sports Bars who have just secured, in the Westminster City Council licensing committee after a full day’s hearing, a magnificent premises licence for a great sports restaurant/bar. This is part of a £ billion development behind the iconic Piccadilly Lights in Piccadilly Circus and which also included three other applications for a classic pub, an amazing rooftop restaurant with breath-taking views of central London and a further restaurant on another floor. These were also granted.

This was not an easy application as you will all know given its location in the West End stress area where the Westminster policy is that there should be no new grants of licences in the area because of saturation with licensed premises.

The slow but determined progress to the grant began a year ago with the planning of the application and the meetings with the landlord and then with officers and police. The application itself was faced with opposition form the Soho Society, police and the licensing team but also had support. It also involved the proposed surrender of an existing premises licence for another unit in the building and very detailed experts report compiled by the crack team of Richard Vivian on acoustics and noise and Adrian Studd on crime and anti social behaviour. There was also a cooperative working relationship with the environmental health team at Westminster City Council and there was a lot in the licensing and the cumulative impact policies which needed to be addressed.

This will bring a world leading new revived building to the public along with four great licensed operations and will carry this location forward for the next half century at least.

I love this business because I get to work with so many great clients on such exciting and world leading projects. This is a great example of how it is possible to secure a premises licence in a very challenging area for Westminster.

Piccadilly Circus could get a new rooftop bar (timeout.com)