Vanston Café Secures Licence Renewal Despite Complaints
Twenty residents had objected citing previous alleged breaches
Vanston Café is at the bottom of North End Road. Picture: Google Streetview
March 13, 2026
A Fulham café has been granted a fresh licence despite concerns about a potential rise in disorder and allegations it has already been operating later than allowed.
Almost 20 residents and local groups objected to Vanston Café’s submission, with several speaking at a Hammersmith and Fulham Council Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on Wednesday night (March 11) to reiterate their fears about the proposal.
After the decision was issued, one resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they hope the council “understands just how disappointed people are today”.
Vanston Café, which is at the bottom of North End Road towards Fulham Broadway station, is recorded as having an existing licence which allows it to open until 11pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30pm on Sunday.
It emerged during the meeting, however, that it has been operating without use of this licence, meaning it has not been able to sell alcohol or serve hot food and drink beyond 11pm.
The application requested a fresh licence enabling opening hours until midnight most of the week other than Friday and Saturday, which it was looking to push to 1am.
The objections however raised concerns that, if approved, the licence would result in worse disturbance and antisocial behaviour (ASB) in an already-busy area.
One objector wrote, “This site is on the edge of a residential and conservation area already plagued by antisocial behaviour linked to nearby food and drink establishments. Fulham Broadway is not far and is more suitable for these types of later night establishments.
“Noise from customers and delivery riders, wider antisocial behaviour, drug dealing, and increasing traffic on a residential street are all concerns. Granting this consent would set a precedent for other similar establishments in the area. It should be rejected outright.”
Documents were filed with Hammersmith and Fulham Council by objectors suggesting conditions detailed in the existing licence were already being breached, including using the roof terrace beyond its allotted hours and illegal shisha activity.
John Skoulding, a resident also representing several other locals, told councillors the café is at a “particularly difficult junction and is slap bang in an unusually residential and densely residential area”.
He said there are concerns about where potential delivery drivers would park up as well as the use of the first-floor terrace, with the likely increase in noise late at night.
Mr Skoulding added the premises appeared to not comply with conditions detailed on the current licence, warning he “would suggest on balance maybe this applicant isn’t starting from the right place”.
Charlotte Dexter, also a resident speaking on behalf of other objectors, said: “We have seen a lot of activity late at night on the roof terrace, and we’ve made official complaints to the licensing authority because the roof terrace is supposed to be closed at 10 o’clock at night, according to the existing 2019 licence.”
“I cannot explain to you how super concerned we are about what seems to be a private club in the midst of our densely populated residential area,” she added. “It doesn’t feel right. In fact it feels very, very wrong.”
A third objector, Rose Francois, representing herself plus one other, told the sub-committee: “The residents just do not want any extension at all. A premises that is already failing to comply with its existing conditions cannot be trusted with extended hours, and the residents just want to get some sleep. Compliance must come first, and in this case it hasn’t.”
The applicant, Mohamed Abdelghany Gabr ElMansoury, attended the meeting though was represented by an individual he said was his brother, Mohammad Rehman.
Mr Rehman disputed some of the points raised by objectors, including that the premises was operating a shisha lounge and that it is open beyond 10pm.
He also said a survey had been conducted with residents who he claimed were all “pretty happy with us”.
Mr Rehman further said it would be “unfair” to pick the premises out, adding they have a “very good reputation” locally.
It was clarified during the meeting that the existing licence is held by the landlord, rather than the applicant, which is running the premises on a lease.
However, Neil Gardiner, Licensing Officer at the council, told members the licence was in the process of being transferred to the applicant. This was noted by both Ms Dexter, who described the arrangement as “confusing”, and Mr Skoulding.
“What really worries me here [is] we’re hearing for the first time tonight about a lease being transferred, about a licence being transferred,” he said. “We’re not being given…the correct position.”
Mr Skoulding added there may be a way forward but that in its current state a “sensible decision” could not be made on the application.
Sub-committee members however voted to grant the licence with the hours requested, plus conditions including that the first-floor terrace area close at 10pm.
Following Wednesday night’s meeting Ms Dexter told the LDRS the decision came as “a bit of a shock for residents”, in particular given local issues of crime and public safety.
“To grant hours until 1am in one of the most densely populated residential pockets in the borough, and the most sleep‑deprived borough in London, feels impossible to reconcile with the council’s stated priorities on safety and noise reduction.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter