A Brighton chicken shop which wants to open until 5am on New Year’s Eve may not get permission after it opened too late during Pride weekend.
Staff at Morley’s in St James’s Street, told police there were no customers in the shop even though officers could see people waiting for orders, council papers say.
The takeaway had hoped to rely on a temporary event notice (TEN) to allow it serve food from 11pm on Wednesday 31 December to 5am on Thursday 1 January.
While decisions about temporary event notices are usually decided by council officials, this one will go before a panel of councillors because Sussex Police has objected.
Sergeant Mark Redbourn said that when the venue relied on a temporary event notice during Brighton and Hove Pride weekend, it did not stick to the agreed closing time.
Sergeant Redbourn said that Sussex Police worked closely with venues in the centre of Brighton around busy days such as Pride, Hallowe’en and the new year and Morley’s had served a TEN allowing late-night refreshment until 2am during the weekend of Saturday 2 August and Sunday 3 August this year.
He said: “At 3.45am on Sunday 3 August, officers attended the venue as it was open with customers inside awaiting food orders. This being when the venue should have closed by 2am.
“The staff became dismissive towards the officers, stating they had no customers despite them physically being in the shop waiting for their orders and confirming to officers that this was the case.
“The previous breach of a TEN does not give us confidence to support this new notice for New Year’s Eve.”
Sergeant Redbourn also raised concerns about crime, disorder and public nuisance as trading until 5am would not help police disperse any crowds leaving pubs and clubs in the area.
As the outlet did not have a licence for late trading or alcohol, Sergeant Redbourn said that the force did not know if the shop had closed circuit television (CCTV), incident logs or any staff training to deal with vulnerable or problem customers.
The application by Elangeswaran Sinnathamby is for late-night refreshment only which allows for food, hot and cold drink sales after 11pm. Alcohol is not part of the application.
A temporary event notice allows for licensed activity for a limited time and is used by businesses to operate for longer hours on special occasions but also by community groups and schools to allow alcohol sales at events.
The hearing is scheduled to be webcast from 12.30pm next Wednesday (17 December).
They obviously can’t play by the rules, so it makes sense to bar them from the game. Given the attitude previously displayed, the police and vicariously, the Council can have no confidence in the management. Teach them a lesson and make an example to warn others.
Don’t deserve it. Break the rules and expect to earn more money selling your junk food. Fingers crossed you are refused!
My money is on refusal on this one. Mainly because granting it would be hard to defend if anything went wrong afterwards.
What a great headline, the writer really did themselves proud with that one.
What exactly qualifies Sussex Police to interfere in trade and premises affairs? No wonder high streets are so desolate with all of these pointless restrictions.
The law gives the police the powers to comment on licensing applications.
And what you see as ‘pointless restrictions’ are matters of public safety to others.