The House of Music and Entertainment, at 20 Commercial Street, applied for a licence to sell alcohol from 5pm to 11pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 5pm to 10pm on Sundays.
The application was considered by the Licensing Sub Committee of Tower Hamlets Council on April 10.
The applicant described the premises as a co-working space by day and an events space by night, operating as a members-only club.
The events are intended to be creative industry-focused networking events, training sessions, presentations and workshops, with occasional live music performances subject to a temporary event notice (TEN).
Alcohol would be available for one hour at the end of the events, with a limit of two drinks per person.
The capacity was set at 80, and only beer and wine would be served.
A previous application for a new premises licence had been refused by the licensing sub-committee on July 23, 2024.
The licensing officer, named only as Ms Miller-Johnson, stated that the responsible authorities had not objected to the new application.
One resident, Abdul High, objected to the application, citing concerns about excessive noise and disruption.
The applicant’s representative argued that the resident had not read the application properly and that events had been taking place for the past year without any issues.
They also stated that they had attempted to contact the resident to discuss their concerns but had received no response.
Councillor Leelu Ahmed asked about security arrangements to ensure customer safety after drinking.
The applicant’s representative stated that they would hire SIA accredited security staff if necessary.
They also confirmed that entry to events would be by invitation only, with a guest list and ID checks.
The committee added a condition that there would be a guest list with names to be checked off to ensure that the premises was not operating as a bar.
They also added a condition that there would be no spirits or shots served, only beer and wine.
The committee granted the application with the additional conditions.
