Hastings Councillors Approve Restaurant Licence Transfer

A woman’s bid to take over the licence of a Hastings business has been approved by councillors, despite objections from Sussex Police. 

On Monday (June 24), a Hastings Borough Council licensing panel approved a bid from 26-year-old Fawjia Rahman to take over the premises licence of Ocean Spice, an Indian restaurant in White Rock. 

Another council panel had resolved to revoke this licence in May, after a review application from Sussex Police. Police said this review was based on Ms Rahman’s father Siddiquar Rahman — the restaurant’s previous licence holder — receiving a suspended sentence for affray. 

During the same May hearing, the panel had also resolved to revoke a premises licence associated with The Balti Hut in Queens Road. This premises licence had previously been held by Shahnur Rahman, Fawjia Rahman’s brother, who police say is serving a four-year prison sentence following a conviction for attempted GBH. 

Sussex Police said these convictions were both for offences stemming from a January 2022 assault on an 18-year-old man from Sudan. Police say the teenager had been working illegally at The Balti Hut at the time and was attacked after he threatened to contact authorities about working conditions and unpaid wages.

Police say two more of Ms Rahman’s brothers — Mominur Rahman and Ridwanur Rahman — were also convicted of attempted GBH for their actions during the same incident.

The council’s decision to revoke Ocean Spice’s premises licence is currently the subject of a legal appeal, with the licence remaining in operation as a result.

With the premises licence still in operation, Hastings Borough Council received an application to transfer it to Fawjia Limited — a limited company wholly owned by Ms Rahman. The application also sought to make Ms Rahman the restaurant’s Designated Premises Supervisor. 

Sussex Police objected to the transfer, arguing Ms Rahman was likely to come under “influence” from her father and brothers in her management of the business.

A similar objection had also been raised by South East Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE).

Speaking at the hearing, PC Darren Spalding of Sussex Police Licensing said:

“Our greatest fear is not so much what is happening right now, but at the point … the other family members will be in the position to come back and bear their influence.”

He added: “With the influence of the family we have no confidence that the licensing objectives will be met, particularly the prevention of crime and disorder.”

Ms Rahman disputed this argument, even offering a condition to ban her father and brothers from the premises. 

Ultimately, the panel decided to approve the transfer. 

Explaining their reasoning, the panel’s chairman Cllr James Bacon said:

“We do not reject the applications, but grant them. We’ve heard the applicant … she is a professional [who has] shown she is capable of working within the business. 

“She has no criminal convictions and a clean record. She has no instances of illegality during her tenure of running the business since last year. She has also put in place a training manual and immigration protocol using her prior experience in the corporate world. She also possesses a personal licence. 

“The police’s evidence is in relation to her father and her brothers and their criminality; not hers. It is now the responsibility of Ms Rahman to ensure lawful activity at the Ocean Spice premises.”