The future of a restaurant that had 200 families and businesses calling for its closure after two potentially deadly attacks remains undecided.
Pan-Asian sushi house Monak, in St John's Wood, has been closed since April 28 when armed males, said to be wearing balaclavas, fled the scene after reportedly threatening staff with knives and starting a fire.
The Ham&High has previously reported that police have applied to review the Abbey Road premises' licence, citing an incident on May 12, 2022, where shots were reportedly fired outside the restaurant.
Westminster Council has confirmed that it has now heard from complainants who were urged to have their say over the future of the venue in a consultation that ended last Tuesday (July 11).
A spokesperson said: “The review application is still current for the above premises and a hearing will be held by the licensing sub-committee to determine the outcome.
“The notice of hearing will go out to all parties concerned once the date for the hearing is confirmed.”
The council added that “as far as we know” the premises has remained closed since the arson attack.
The owners of Monak have remained silent.
The restaurant at first posted on Instagram it was temporarily closed for “internal works” but promised “we will be back and running soon”.
It continued: “So connect with us via our social media platforms to stay updated for our reopening date.”
However it has since removed any mention on its Instagram page of its message promising to reopen and references to its “internal works”.
Its website, monaklondon.com, can also no longer be accessed. Instead, visiting the page brings up a message from website hosting company Squarespace that the “website expired”.
In previous reports, Monak has also ignored multiple requests for comment.
The Ham&High has seen an email chain in which Cllr Caroline Sargent, the Conservative member for Abbey Road Ward, joins those calling for Monak's licence to be reviewed.
Cllr Sargent said: “We are supporting residents and businesses nearby who, for the past several years, have been plagued by at best nuisance, and at worst crime and disorder associated with the premises.”
According to the email, nearly 200 families have felt the impact "on a daily basis”.
Other businesses in the area have also signed a petition calling for a review.
Referring to the 2022 shooting, the Met wrote in its application that the motive remained unknown, but it was believed a group of customers who had arrived at the restaurant without booking a table were connected.
The Ham&High previously reported about the fire on April 28, in which six males reportedly went in with “large machetes”.
According to the police application, they had “Molotov cocktails” and firebombed the venue before running off.
London Fire Brigade said there were no reported injuries but half of the ground floor of the restaurant was damaged.
But police have claimed in their submission that one person was taken to hospital with “shrapnel injuries”.
Westminster Council says that a licensing sub-committee date has not yet been set.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here