A late-night takeaway can stay open until 2am after Brighton and Hove City Council granted the premises an extension to its licence.
Tops Pizza, at 6 York Place, opposite St Peter’s Church, has given up its alcohol licence as part of a deal to allow the takeaway to trade until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The business, owned by Kian Yazdi Nodoochani, 25, had faced opposition from Sussex Police because of the high level of crime in the area.
At a council licensing panel hearing, three councillors – Ivan Lyons, Paul Nann and Alison Thomson – heard that 639 crimes were linked to York Place and the surrounding side roads in the year to December.
David Dadds, representing Tops Pizza, asked if there were any incidents where the police had been called to food outlets.
Police licensing officer Hannah Staplehurst said that there had been four – to an area where two other food outlets, Domino’s and City Kebab, were open after midnight.
The business agreed to draft conditions proposed by Sussex Police including having door staff on duty when open after midnight.
The panel was told that Tops Pizza had 85 branches, with 70 of them open until 2am and none with door supervisors.
Delivery drivers would be required to park legally and quietly, without blocking pavements.
Draft conditions agreed by Tops Pizza and the council’s environmental protection team would restrict rubbish and recycling collections to between 7am and 7pm.
Tops Pizza said that it used its own delivery drivers rather than those working for third parties – and they received comprehensive training.
The council said in its decision letter: “Overall, the panel do not consider granting this application will undermine the licensing objectives.
“The removal of the sale of alcohol is a positive step and … the applicant has agreed to robust conditions from the police and environmental protection.
“These will operate to mitigate risk in the immediate area and promote the licensing objectives.
“The fact that the business is a well-established chain owned by the applicant company with their own delivery drivers is also a positive factor.”
Ah, there it is, late opening now, no booze, in a years time a new application for a booze licence will be flying in, just my thoughts of course.
Perhaps there is an openng for a 24-hour salad bar in town ?