A Brighton restaurant boss is waiting to hear whether he can trade 24/7 after councillors were asked to decide his third application within a year for a late-night refreshment licence.
Bahaaeldin Abdelalim, 43, owns the Station Grill, in Queen’s Road, and has applied to Brighton and Hove City Council for a licence from 11pm to 5am.
Mr Abdelalim, known as Bahaa, does not need a licence to sell food and drink before 11pm and after 5am – and has not applied for a licence to sell alcohol.
The late-night refreshment licence would enable him to keep his business open for 24 hours a day seven days a week.
A licensing panel today (Monday 18 August) was told that council policy usually required restaurants to close at midnight, unless there were exceptional circumstances.
Mr Abdelalim said that he was happy for the premises to trade as a takeaway or delivery service after midnight and that he accepted that the council could set the closing time.
But he has appealed to the courts after his first application – to trade until 2am on weekdays and 3am at weekends – was turned down last autumn.
Earlier this year, he applied for a 3am licence seven days a week but this application was also turned down, this time in June.
At that time, councillors advised him to consult the police before reapplying. But he reapplied the very next day, without having first consulted the police, the panel was told today.
The panel consisted of three Labour councillors – Julie Cattell, John Hewitt and Alison Thomson.
They were told that Sussex Police and the council’s licensing team had objected to the application.
The police were concerned about crime in the locality and another late-night business adding to the volume of people – some of them in drink – remaining in the area late at night.
Mr Abdelalim asked whether any of the hundreds of crimes in the Queen’s Road area over the past year were linked to his business. No evidence was offered to suggest any were.
But the police were concerned that another overnight food business would provide somewhere else for people to go after drinking – potentially causing a disturbance or adding to the volume of alcohol-related crime.
The council said that the Station Grill was in a busy part of Brighton where the cumulative impact of premises selling alcohol and the associated problems meant that, generally, new applications would be refused.
Mr Abdelalim said that the council’s own policy gave examples of potential exceptions to this rule such as venues that were not primarily in existence to sell alcohol.
He said that this was the case with his business – and more than 40 supporters backed him by sending emails with almost identical wording.
Each included a line saying, “I live in close proximity to the outlet,” although Councillor Thomson noted that one of those had been sent by someone living in Freshfield Road.
The council redacts various details in letters of support or objections so that it is not possible to verify independently when and if the process might be being abused.
Sussex Police submitted a photograph that was not included in the published evidence but which was taken by an anonymous member of the public, purporting to show the business trading after its permitted hours.
Mr Abdelalim responded by submitting a photograph that was taken, he said, on the same date and at the same time, showing that the premises were closed.
The panel was told that the photo submitted by Mr Abdelalim was different. It appeared to have been taken in daylight, with scaffolding outside the premises next door and had previously been published by Brighton and Hove News.
Mr Abdelalim said that this highlighted the risks of the panel accepting “hearsay” evidence from the police that had not been verified.
He said previously: “As we are struggling now financially, granting this license will not only assist in recovering from the financial challenges caused by reduced sales due to restricted hours but also strengthen our contribution to the neighbouring community.”
Hannah Staplehurst, from Sussex Police, said that the force had little confidence in the applicant and found it hard to work with him.
Emily Fountain, from the council licensing team, said that the premises had been found to be trading after hours on Friday 1 August.
The panel adjourned and Mr Abdelalim was told that it would make its decision within five working days.
Lol so he has lied multiple times and used chat GBT to put in multiple letters of support, keeps breaking the licencing laws as it is and he thinks the council are going to say yes to him. Why would you open a kebab shop in the first place next door to another kebab shop that’s trading for decades and then wonder why your not making any money. Laughable
“Restaurant boss” it’s a kebab shop.
Another charlie southhall of dragonfly. The guy destroyed green tile but doesnt want to replace with like for like tiles. Bought a pub to turn in to home. The turkish man bought a shop then copied shop front of next door a existing kebab house.
Did not think it through. Odd thing is they do not spend money on professionals to help them. Charlie is his own legal representative against a barrister. Turkish guy re made application straightaway not even listen or take advice. Clueless hapless bigheads.