Our residential community in Earl's Court is under threat. A wave of 24/7 and late-night licence applications for fast foods, gambling and alcohol sale, starting with McDonald's, threatens to overwhelm our neighbourhood with constant noise, all night traffic, more waste and anti-social behaviour. To fight back effectively against the accumulated impact of all these applications, we need your help to hire a specialist and experienced licensing Barrister. Your donation will fund our legal fight and next upcoming license application to protect our neighbourhood.

Dear Neighbours and Friends of Earl's Court

Our community is at a crossroads. For years, we've maintained a delicate balance between a vibrant high street and the peaceful residential streets where our families, children, professionals, visitors, and elderly residents live. That balance is now under direct threat.

The Domino Effect Has Begun

Because of its location, Earl’s Court Road is now attracting businesses aiming at servicing the whole of London 24/7. And the Council appears to have decided—without any consultation—to turn Earl's Court Road into a 24/7 "night-time economy" unrelated to its local community at a time when it has set up a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to address the ASB issues experienced in the area.

The Co-op, Admiral and Silvertime gambling businesses, and others are expected to follow. If we don't act now, the Earl's Court we know will be lost to a noisy, all-night destination for fast-food, alcohol, and gambling. What could go wrong?

Why does it matter?

The reality of these 24/7 operations isn't just about a late-night burger. It's about the fleet of motorbike delivery drivers creating noise and anti-social behaviour at all hours. The increasing volume of fast-food delivery drivers waiting for orders from multiple fast-food franchises is already a source of significant disturbances for the area today, requiring regular police interventions, creating health and safety issues for residents. It's about shouting, litter, fights, drug use, human excrements, urine and disruption on our streets.

The reality is 24/7 opening will alter the character of our neighbourhood, turning it into a late-night destination, especially at weekends for likely drunk/under-the-influence clubbers etc and they won't stay on the Earl's Court Rd. The one-way system makes this inevitable. They will noisily fan out onto the side streets, noisily leaving litter and worse as they go.

Extending this to early morning hours or all night will further undermine our area. We fear this is just the beginning.

Why We Need Your Contribution - Our Plan to Win

Submitting individual objections is absolutely vital (and we urge you to do so!), but we are up against the huge resources and experienced legal teams of major corporations, and the Council. To give our community the strongest possible voice and the best chance of success, we need to hire a specialist, an experienced and successful licensing Barrister to represent our community, starting by the McDonald’s application on August 7th.

The Earl’s Court Society is aiming at raising £9,500 by July 31st to fund this crucial legal defence and fight the upcoming McDonald’s application. Your donation is an investment to protect the peace and character of our neighbourhood.

The experienced Barrister who won a similar case in Fulham against McDonald’s will provide the expert legal representation needed to challenge these applications effectively at the official Council hearings. They can cut through corporate arguments, present our residents' evidence professionally, and hold the Licensing Committee accountable to its own policies. This is our single most powerful tool to stop the floodgates from opening, along with individual licensing objections in mass.

Let's stand together to fight for our high street and show that Earl's Court is a residential community as well, not a 24-hour service station.

Thank you for your incredible support.

The Earl's Court Society