A pizza restaurant in Hove has been granted a late-night licence to deliver food until 1am.
Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove City Council’s licensing team objected to the original application for a 3am licence for takeaways and deliveries for Fireaway, in Blatchington Road, Hove.
The takeaway is in an area that has been designated a “special stress area” by the council – and where tougher licensing rules apply.
Restaurants and takeaways with a licence to serve late-night refreshment – food and drink sold after 11pm – would usually be expected to stop trading by midnight.
After the police and council objections, Fireaway owner Kiranben Gadhvi, 35, indicated a willingness to amend the licence application, seeking permission for deliveries only after 11pm.
At a council licensing panel before Christmas – on Monday 19 December – the applicant’s agent, Turabi Ay, of Delta Tech Ltd, offered to end deliveries at 1am as he tried to reassure councillors.
Mr Ay told the panel that deliveries would be made by Fireaway’s own staff on electric bikes and mopeds only.
Signs on the doors would confirm that the business was closed to “walk-in” customers after 11pm, he said.
The panel was made up of three councillors – Chris Henry, Clare Moonan and Dee Simson – and they said that the delivery-only option using electric vehicles “mitigated” the risks.
But all deliveries would have to leave the premises by 1am and the premises would have to be closed by that time.
