The Mill Lane pub's licence holder went into liquidation on 25 August. In law that lapses a premises licence, and the window to reinstate closes 22 September.

The company named on Camden’s licensing register as the holder of the premises licence for The Alliance on Mill Lane has gone into creditors’ voluntary liquidation.

Alliance Pub (West Hampstead) Ltd was wound up voluntarily on 25 August 2026. Two notices confirming it were published in The London Gazette on Monday. The company gives its principal trading address as 40-42 Mill Lane, NW6 1NR, which is the pub.

The pub’s own website is still taking bookings and still describes The Alliance as open. Those two things are not in conflict, and the distinction matters, so this piece sets out what the public record actually says and what it does not.

Timeline of the record: company incorporated 12 January 2022, last accounts made up to 31 July 2024, Gazette notice of a creditors' decision on 18 August 2026, wound up voluntarily on 25 August 2026, Camden's licence register still showing the licence in force on 6 September, both Gazette notices published 7 September, and 22 September as the last day to reinstate the premises licence.
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What the notices say

The first notice appeared on 18 August. It gave notice under rule 15.13 of the Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 that the company’s director, Edward Robson, was seeking a decision from creditors on the nomination of joint liquidators, by video conference at 11.30am on 25 August.

Two more notices followed on 7 September. They record that on 25 August the company passed a special resolution “that the Company be wound up voluntarily”, and appointed Asher Miller and Stephen Katz of BTG Begbies Traynor (London) LLP as joint liquidators. The type of liquidation is given as creditors’, and the appointment was made by members and creditors.

Companies House lists the company as number 13844362, incorporated on 12 January 2022, nature of business “licensed restaurants”. Its status is now Liquidation and its registered office has moved to the liquidators’ office in Finchley. Its last accounts were made up to 31 July 2024. The next set, to 31 July 2025, was due by 31 July 2026 and is recorded as overdue.

Creditors and anyone else with an interest can contact the joint liquidators, whose email address for the case, ST-Team@btguk.com, is given in the Gazette notice. Nothing in these notices is a finding against the pub, its staff or anyone who works there.

Why the premises licence is the part that matters

A premises licence is attached to a named holder, not to the building. Under section 27 of the Licensing Act 2003 a premises licence lapses if the holder becomes insolvent, and section 27(4)(d) says a company becomes insolvent for this purpose when it goes into liquidation. That happens by operation of law on the day of the resolution. Nobody has to do anything for it to take effect.

The Act provides two ways back, and both have the same deadline:

  • an interim authority notice under section 47, which can be given by someone with an interest in the premises or connected to the former holder, and which reinstates the licence from the moment the council receives it
  • an application to transfer the licence under section 50, which must be made no later than 28 days after the day the licence lapsed, and which also reinstates it on receipt

Twenty-eight days from 25 August runs to Tuesday 22 September 2026. This is a routine step after a change of company, and it is usually done within days.

What we could not confirm

Camden’s premises licence register, last uploaded on 6 September 2026, still lists licence PREM-LIC\2640 for “Alliance”, 40-42 Mill Lane NW6 1NR, as In Force, with Alliance Pub (West Hampstead) Ltd as the licensee and a grant date of 29 April 2016.

That does not settle it either way, for two reasons:

  • the register is a periodic upload, not a live feed, and it was last refreshed two days before this was published
  • Camden’s published file of licensing applications records 11 kinds of application, and an interim authority notice is not one of them. The most recent application it holds for this address is a transfer approved in 2016. So the council’s open data cannot show whether a notice has been given

In other words, an interim authority notice may well have been given on or shortly after 25 August, and the licence reinstated the same day, without any of that being visible in the data the council publishes.

The Alliance holds a food hygiene rating of 5, the top score, awarded on 13 February 2023 and recorded on the Food Standards Agency register. Its website presents it as part of Loci Pubs. Loci Pubs Ltd, company number 08183962, is registered at 33 Cavendish Square W1G 0PW, the address Alliance Pub (West Hampstead) Ltd used before the liquidators’ address replaced it.

What it means for you

  • If you have a booking, a gift card or a deposit with the pub, the notices do not cancel it. The pub is presenting itself as trading. Contact the pub first, and the joint liquidators only if the pub cannot help.
  • If you are owed money by the company, the liquidators are the route. Their case email is in the Gazette notice, and creditors have the right to information about the company’s affairs.
  • If you work there, your position is with whoever employs you now, which may not be the company in liquidation. Advice on redundancy and unpaid wages when an employer is insolvent is on gov.uk.
  • Nothing here says the pub is closing. A licence holder changing is one of the most ordinary things that happens to a pub.

We will report the outcome once Camden’s register updates. If you run the pub or the company and want to add to this, our got a story page comes straight to the newsdesk.

West Hampstead is one of the nine Camden wards outside the constituency voting in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election next month.

Sources