A new South Indian street food restaurant has been granted a drinks licence for its Brighton branch.
Mowgli Street Food plans to open in the old Oasis shop on the corner of Duke’s Lane and Middle Street next year as part of a nationwide expansion.
At a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel hearing last week, a neighbour’s representative raised concerns about noise from outside tables and deliveries but was reassured that the company had no plans to offer either option.
The council has written to Mowgli and its letter set out the conditions attached to its alcohol licence.
These ban “al fresco dining”, restrict deliveries to four hours – from 9am to 1pm – and restrict when bins can be emptied to 14 hours – from 7am and 9pm.
The panel said: “The applicant’s licensing consultant explained that Mowgli was an experienced operator and had 14 other sites throughout the country, some of which had been operating for a number of years. None had been the subject of a complaint.
“The company’s aim was to be a good neighbour and additional conditions to address concerns about delivery noise and bin emptying would be acceptable.
“The company had no plans to apply for a pavement café licence and was prepared to accept a condition prohibiting al fresco dining.
“The panel have considered the individual merits of the application as well as the policy context.
“The premises are situated in a mixed residential/retail area and residents’ concerns about late-night noise are justified.
“The (panel) appreciated the scaled-down application, the conditions put forward on the operating schedule, the conditions agreed with the police and the additional conditions that the applicant was prepared to accept.”
Mowgli can serve alcoholic drinks with a meal from noon to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday and from noon to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
The chain was started seven years ago in Liverpool by former barrister Nishan Katona who is now a chef and food writer.
According to the company’s website, the Brighton branch is due to opening next year.
