Home Office calls to revoke licence of Forest Row restaurant
Some village residents have rallied to support a Forest Row restaurant after Home Office calls to revoke its licence.
Next Monday (April 20), a Wealden District Council licensing panel is due to consider an application seeking the revocation of a premises licence linked to Roochi, an Indian restaurant in Hartfield Road.
The application has been submitted by Home Office Immigration Enforcement, after a company linked to the business — Vojan UK Limited — was issued a £40,000 fine “for employing one individual with no right to work” in the UK.
The application notes how the company had objected to this penalty, which was initially issued in July 2025, but not lodged a formal appeal after review. Its appeal rights have since been exhausted and the penalty remains “outstanding in full”, the Home Office says.
In the application a Home Office spokesman said: “Merely remedying the existing situation (for instance by the imposition of additional conditions or a suspension) is insufficient to act as a deterrent to the licence holder and other premises’ licence holders from employing illegal workers and facilitating disqualified immigrants to work illegally.
“Revocation is a proportionate and necessary response to: uphold the integrity of the licensing regime; deter future breaches; promote the licensing objectives; [and] protect the public interest.”
The application is supported by Sussex Police, which argues the restaurant had “demonstrably failed to uphold the responsibilities expected of a licensed venue.”
The revocation calls have also seen opposition raised by Forest Row residents and officials. The council has received 17 letters supporting the restaurant.
The names have been redacted in council papers but several have identified themselves as local councillors or being linked to neighbouring businesses.
One identifies themselves as “the county councillor covering Forest Row for five years”.
This is a position currently held by Georgia Taylor (Green), who confirmed that she had submitted the letter when approached by the LDRS.
In it, she said: “I believe that this has been a genuine misunderstanding, and does not constitute a failure to uphold the crime and disorder licensing objective.
“It would be a terrible shame for Forest Row to lose a well-loved restaurant for no reason. And also, a terrible outcome for a hard working and diligent local business person, Mr Hussain.
“I have been the county councillor covering Forest Row for five years and I have not heard of any irregularities or illegal employment practices in the village during that time. I know that many of our local businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, have been severely strained in the post-Covid era, and we have had some closures.
“We do not wish the village to become hollowed out and to start seeing empty premises. This is not good for morale and not good for the vibrant economy we have in Forest Row.
“I hope that you are able to give Roochi a second chance to tighten up their practices so that this kind of misunderstanding does not happen again.”
Other respondents praised the business’s work to uphold other parts of the licensing objectives, such as prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.
Supporters include those who identified themselves as “the Forest Row district councillor” and, separately, “East Grinstead Town Mayor 2025/26 and Mid Sussex District Councillor”. The former is a position held by Green Party councillor Dr Patrica Patterson-Vanegas and the latter was held by Conservative councillor John Belsey.
Other respondents include someone who identifies themselves as the business’s landlord and others who identify themselves as representatives for nearby businesses.
The Home Office says the premises has been linked to previous civil penalties.
It says a previous company linked to the restaurant, known as Roochi Limited, had been issued with civil penalties totalling £40,000, after it was found to have been employing a total of four people with no right to work in the UK.
The Home Office says the company had been making monthly payments against these penalties, until it ceased doing so in January 2021. The company formally dissolved in May 2023, leaving around £31,270 of the penalties unpaid, the Home Office says.
All interested parties will be able to address the licensing panel before it makes its decision. Any decision will also be open to appeal through the Magistrates’ Court system for a short period of time.